Mirror, Mirror?
by KellethMetheus
Summary: Charlie comes through the Quantum mirror with a surprise for Sam and Jack. Can he help them bridge the rift they have created between them.
1. Through the Looking Glass

**Author's Note:** Hello again here is my next story for you all to enjoy. Okay a few things when Charlie thinks about the Sam and Jack from his Universe they are O'Neill and Carter so that you can tell the difference. I know that he would not think that way but believe me it is much less confusing that way. At first glance the universe that Charlie came from is the Universe of Falling For You, but it is not. The story that became Falling For You did start out as the back ground for this story but it soon became it's own and it stand totally separate from this one.

**I need to thank Suse, Judyhild and ShadowChaser for helping with this story and for making it the great story you see. Also I must add that you would have this chapter if it wasn't for ALIMOO1971's suggestion that I start a little earlier to give you all more background.  
**

_Also I don't own anything to so with Stargate but the ten seasons and The Ark of Truth on DVD._

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The explosion could be seen through the mirror and then there was nothing as the image disappeared. Charlie tried to make his way back to the mirror, but a set of strong arms grabbed him, "Charlie, don't, he wanted you to be safe."

Charlie struggled for another few heartbeats and then went limp as he said, "You can let me go. I won't try to go back again. I know this is what dad wanted." His eyes turned back to the mirror, he could no longer see his Universe. O'Neill had probably destroyed his mirror. There was no way back for them now, or maybe ever.

Kawalsky let him go and Charlie crossed over to Morgan who sat on the floor, a little dazed, with her thumb in her mouth. "You okay Pumpkin?" he forced her to look at him.

It wasn't immediate, but her eyes focused on Charlie and she pulled out her thumb, "The snake man hurt mommy, we need to go back and help her and Daddy. I want Mommy, you have to take me back. She needs us." her voice got louder as she spoke until she was shouting, as she fought Charlie's loose hold on her with kicks and punches.

Charlie looked over at Dr. Carter who stood beside Kawalsky, she hadn't moved since he and Morgan had come tumbling through the mirror.

Charlie wondered what was wrong with her and then he remembered that she had lost her husband to the Goa'uld as well. She would have seen O'Neill alive and well but now was most likely dead.

Charlie knew that he could not dwell on her emotional state, he had Morgan to worry about. Dr. Carter had people to worry about her. "No Morgan, we can't go back that way. We have to meet up with Mom and Dad somewhere else. Dr. Carter will show us the way." He tightened his hold on the little girl. She continued to fight him for a few more minutes and then she relaxed in his arms and she lay her head on his shoulder.

Hearing her name seemed to snap her out of it and Dr Carter looked over at the two children who had been thrust upon her in the last five minutes. She looked at Kawalsky who nodded, "Yes, let's find you somewhere else." Using a device in her hand, she began to change the scenes until she found the one she wanted.

She motioned to the two children who still sat on the floor, "This is the one. Follow me. Grab your pack and we will get this over with." She lifted her free hand and was about to touch the mirror when she stopped and crossed back to the workbench in the middle of her lab where the mirror in this Universe was stored.

Choosing another device from the bench, she showed it to Charlie. "If you ever need to find me again, use this. I will set it to your Universe, mine, and the one I will take you to." She pointed the two devices at each other and transferred the information to the second device which she then passed to Charlie. "I will explain how to use it before I leave you." then she turned to Kawalsky, "I shouldn't be too long. I just need to get them on their way, I can't stay there too long. Wait here for me."

Kawalsky nodded, "Are you sure about this? Maybe I should go," he offered.

"No, I need to do this for-" she stopped and took a deep breath, "For me."

Nodding his head, Kawalsky stepped back, "I'll be here." his voice was soft and he reached out and squeezed her hand.

Charlie looked from Dr. Carter to Charlie Kawalsky and back again. A smile crossed his face and the boy was happy for the two of them.

Dr. Carter pulled away from Kawalsky and headed back to the mirror. A large room, filled with strange objects, could been seen through the mirror. He looked at Morgan, who hadn't moved since she put her head down. She seemed to be asleep but he knew better. "Are you sure this is the best place for us? I mean there are so many choices, why this one?" Charlie asked, unsure about going somewhere else now that they were safe, "Why can't we stay here with you. Morgan knows you."

Shaking her head, Dr. Carter said, "This is not the place where you can stay and be safe. I have no Jack for you and your sister. Your father wanted a place where she would feel at home and this place is not it. My Universe is too different, too many changes." she stopped as she realized that she was sounding harsh, "Please, reach out and touch the mirror on three. One, two, three." Dr. Carter and the two of them touched the mirror only to reappear on the other side.

She took one last look at Kawalsky before she shut off the mirror. They didn't move right away as they waited to see if men with guns would appear, but no one came. Looking around, Charlie noticed that this place was neat, but no one seemed to be around.

When no one appeared, Dr. Carter motioned with her hand, "Follow me. We need to get out of here before we are found. I don't think that this is the SGC or Area 51. It would be very bad, this is an NID warehouse. We found it after we took the world back from the Goa'uld. If I am right, I know exactly where we are."

Holding Morgan's hand, Charlie followed her through the maze of shelves, amazed that Dr. Carter seemed to know where she was going. The shelves themselves contained wonderful things. He'd been around Carter (his mother) long enough and he would have enjoyed seeing the joy on her face at the variety of devices there.

The smile slowly fell from his face as he remembered that Carter and O'Neill were most likely dead. Fighting the tears that filled his eyes, Charlie swiped at them with one hand and held tightly to Morgan with the other.

They managed to avoid all the guards, slipping out a door and into the blinding sun. Dr. Carter shielded her eyes from the glare as she tried to get her bearings. "We need to get away from here quickly. There didn't seem to be any alarms but we can't take the chance that the NID won't find us if we stay here too long."

Lifting Morgan into her arms, Dr. Carter began walking. They had gone a few blocks when she stopped. There was relief in her voice, "I was right, we are in Los Angeles. Let's flag down a cab and get you two to the bus station. I wish you could fly, but we don't have the documents or people we need to pull it off. If I knew that Jack or Sam were able to pick you up, I would, but I don't have the time to track them down. The longer I stay here, the better the chance I have of entropic Cascade failure. I have a little bit of cash that I can give you and I hope it's close enough to the money here that you won't have a problem."

Charlie nodded as he waved at a taxi that passed them. It continued on its way and they kept walking. Finally, five blocks later they finally found a taxi. The driver rolled down the window, "Where do you folks need to go?"

Dr. Carter was the one who spoke, "The closest bus station please and quickly."

The man nodded and they climbed into the back seat,. Charlie on one side, Morgan in the middle, and Dr. Carter at the other door. Morgan began to rub her eyes, "Charlie, I'm tired, when can I sleep?"

He looked over at Dr. Carter, who tucked the girl's blond braids behind her ear, "Soon Morgan soon."

The girl nodded and leaned into Charlie and stuck her thumb back into her mouth and the rest of the ride was quiet. When they pulled up in front of the bus station, they all got out and went inside after Dr. Carter paid the driver and asked him to wait for ten minutes. The driver took her money and nodded.

Inside, they walked over to one of the wickets and Dr. Carter bought the two children their tickets to Colorado Springs using her debit card. Thankfully, it seemed that the Sam of this world and she had the same bank account.

Next, they asked for directions to the right bus. Dr. Carter sat them down and told them to wait the half an hour until their bus left. Then she turned and walked away, only to turn and look back once more before she continued on her way.

0o0o0

The bus ride was long and boring, luckily Morgan slept though enough of it that Charlie didn't go insane. He kept her busy with a book he had bought her at one of their stops as well as some crayons and a coloring book, but it was still almost twenty-four hours later before the bus pulled into Colorado Springs early in the morning.

As soon as it stopped, Charlie gathered their belongings and tugged Morgan along until they got off the bus. Using one of the phones provided in the lobby, Charlie called for a taxi.

While they waited outside, Charlie debated on which house he should try first, Jack or Sam's. Finally, he decided to go to Jack's. It would be somewhere familiar to Morgan, at least he hoped that Jack lived in the same place in this world. Charlie decided that he shouldn't wait to find out. Still holding Morgan's hand, he went back to the pay phone and began to search the phone book.

His fingers scanned the column and stopped at J. O'Neill. A smile crossed his features, the address and phone number were the same as in his Universe.

The taxi pulled up and honked. The two of them climbed into the taxi and Charlie told him the address, relieved that their journey was almost over.

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Five minutes later, the taxi pulled to a stop and the driver held out his hand for the money, "Are you sure this is the right place? It doesn't look like anyone is home."

Charlie studied the house and silently had to agree, "It's the right one. My dad is probably not home from work yet. We'll just go and wait for him. Come on Morgan." he handed the man his money and pulled the little girl out of the car.

The two of them headed up the stairs to the front door. Charlie could feel the driver watching them as he reached the door. He fingered his own house keys in his pocket and he wondered if they would open the front door, or if he should see if the spare key was under the Homer with a welcome sign, as it was his Universe. Even though he had not been home to his house in nearly three months, he still carried them around hoping to use them again one day and it seems that day was today. Choosing to try his key first, Charlie reached out and stuck it into the lock.

It turned and Charlie was able to open the door, Charlie breathed a sigh of relief as he gently pushed Morgan through the door, not waiting to see if the taxi was still there.

Standing in the entryway, Charlie scanned the house to see if he could tell what was different about this house. He walked slowly through the house, it was his home, but not. It was also very empty, Jack was not here. Charlie wandered into Jack's bedroom and found that his dress uniform was gone and he wondered where Jack had gone.

Morgan had wandered into the kitchen looking for food and called, "Charlie there's nothing here. The fridge is empty except for-" she stopped, "Guinness. What is that?"

Laughing, Charlie headed to find Morgan before she let her curiosity get the best of her and she tried it out. "Just wait Morgan. I will find you something. There is probably some Kraft Dinner in there somewhere. Dad lived on the stuff for days before Sam." he said, as he opened the cupboards, searching for the food.

He finally found one hidden in the back. He had no idea how old it was, but he dumped the noodles into a pot and cooked them.

When it was ready, the two of them sat down and ate. Charlie looked for some ketchup and dumped it all over the macaroni to make it bearable. It was the only other thing in the fridge.

Then he sent Morgan out into the backyard to play. Charlie watched her out the kitchen window as he picked up the phone and dialed the SGC. When someone answered, he asked to speak to Colonel Jack O'Neill.

Charlie was transferred and a voice came on, "I'm sorry, but Colonel O'Neill is not available right now. He is in DC, can we get him a message?"

Hesitating, Charlie looked over at Morgan, who was playing with her "My Little Ponys" on the grass. "No, can you just tell me when he will return?"

"A few days. He is scheduled to return to duty in three days." the voice said.

"Thank you, I'll talk to him then. Goodbye." he said as he hung up the phone. They would wait two days and then find out their future.

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There is chapter one. Let me know if you liked it or loved it. The next chapter will be posted Tuesday and Wednesday and Friday. The more reviews I get the more likely you will get a chapter next weekend too. ~Kelleth~


	2. Stranger Things I have seen

**Author's Note:** Here is chapter two enjoy. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I woke up Monday morning and there they were 13 reviews. It made my day.

Oh and that first chapter wouldn't have been there is not for Almioo1971's great advice. The story would have started here!

**To my anonymous reviewers:** **NightCat ()****;** I hope it was worth the wait. **SGAussie ();** Here you go-More.** Loolabelle ()**: I hope that this one is just as intriguing as well.

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Charlie sat up, something had woken him up. Waiting tensely to see if he could identify the sound, he looked around the room and tried to remember where he was. The room came into focus, his father's house. He was safe here, they were safe. He felt the tension leave his body; no one was looking for them here.

It was the strangest thing. This house was his home, but it wasn't. So many things were different, but it was also achingly the same. His parents in the other Universe had lived in the same house. Morgan now slept in her own room but it wasn't her. Right now it was a spare room.

Beside him, he heard the sounds of Morgan's breathing; she had been having nightmares ever since they had left their home. She had been slipping into his bed at night to be close to someone familiar and to feel safe.

It had only been a week and she was still adjusting to what was happening. He hoped that this version of their parents would be back soon. He had called the base and asked for Colonel O'Neill only to be told that he should be returning from Washington later that day and he would be into work the following day but he'd already been delayed twice so his hopes weren't high.

On the front porch there were voices, the front door opened and keys hit the table by the door. Slipping out of the sleeping bag, he padded, barefoot, to the bedroom door, to hear them better. One of them was Jack O'Neill, his father, or at least the man who looked just like him.

He closed his eyes and listened to the familiar cadence of his voice. The other voice was Samantha Carter's, they spoke of their visit to Washington and then she bid him goodnight.

It was funny, his Sam had gone with his father on that first Abydos mission and they had married six months later. Sara, his mother, died while his father was in Iraq. Just after he left for his last tour in Special Forces, she had been diagnosed with cancer. She had put up a brave fight until they told her that O'Neill was dead, and then she just slipped away. Charlie had stayed with Sam until they found O'Neill alive four months later.

The first time Charlie saw O'Neill was in the hospital. A few days later, he came home to live in Sam's house.

The man who returned from Iraq all those years ago was a stranger, even more so than his father had been before. At first, O'Neill would do his job, and then come home and sit for hours, alone. There were months of silence with only a few happy moments sprinkled throughout, O'Neill not seeing how it was hurting his "son", until Sam made him see.

O'Neill could not cope with his experiences in Iraq, the loss of his wife, and he needed help. Six months after he returned, he married Sam, but they continued to have separate rooms. They had only married because Sara's father was trying to take Charlie away from O'Neill. He said that O'Neill was not a fit father and Charlie was in danger. After that, the good days had increased in number and frequency.

It wasn't long after that the Air Force had sent him to Abydos because of his deteriorating mental state. To both this O'Neill and his father, it was like a suicide mission but unlike Jack, O'Neill had had both Daniel and Sam to temper his blackness. The two of them pulled O'Neill back from the abyss that had almost consumed him. Charlie had stayed with Jacob while they were gone. In the short time they had known each other they had grown close.

Jack closed the door and Charlie could imagine him loosening his tie and throwing it across the back of one of the chairs in the living room only to have his coat follow. It was now or never.

This man would not be happy, but there was nothing he could do about that. The sofa creaked and Charlie could see Jack sitting there fighting his emotions. He had seen O'Neill sit like this so many times. His elbows would be resting on his knees while his hands would support his head, covering his face, hiding the silent tears. Jack was just as weary as his father had been before Sam, before allowing himself to love and be loved again. Pulling on the knob, Charlie closed the door behind him and stepped out into the hallway.

Jack was sitting on the couch with his back to Charlie, just as the boy imagined. Knowing he needed to announce his presence, Charlie opened his mouth, but changed his mind and watched this Jack for a moment, needing to see his father, alive and well, even if he was a copy. Charlie sighed, this would be harder than he thought.

At an unexpected noise, Jack stood to meet whatever threat was about to appear. Horror crossed Jack's face as he looked at Charlie.

Opening his mouth, Charlie looked at Jack. What could he say and how could he make him understand why he was here.

Jack tilted his head and gave him an 'I'm waiting look.' Charlie knew he was running out of time. Sighing, he tried again to explain, but a small voice called, "Charlie, where are you? I'm scared."

"I'm out here Morgan." Charlie waited to see Jack's reaction and it was just as he expected. If his presence was a surprise then, Morgan's was an even bigger one.

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At the sound of another child , Jack froze and was unable to speak. Charlie was dead, and he should not be standing here in his living room, years older, and not in the company of another child. Just what was going on here? He had just caught a glimpse of the blond braids and blue eyes before Charlie had knelt down and blocked his view of the child.

Using his body to block Jack's view of Morgan, Charlie tried to steer her back to bed so he could explain what was happening before the two of them saw each other. Morgan stopped and put her thumb in her mouth, talking around it. "You said you wouldn't leave me until mommy and daddy came back. Charlie, why are you out here?"

"I was just outside the door talking to someone, now you need to go back to bed, it's late. Daddy will be home tomorrow and you can see him. You don't want to be grouchy do you?"

Shaking her head her braids fluttered. "Who were you talking to?" she asked as she fought him steering her back to bed. "I thought I heard Daddy's voice and Mommy's. I want to see Mommy and Daddy."

She bit Charlie's hand and tried to get around him and see who else was in the room. Her eyes lit up when she saw Jack. "I knew you would be safe. Those snake men could not hurt you. I missed you and Mommy." Before either of the older O'Neill's could stop her she launched herself into Jack's arms and the only thing he could do was to catch her.

Confused by the child's reaction to him, Jack looked at the child in his arms. Her blue eyes met his brown and he could not miss his own features echoed back to him as well as Carter's smile etched on the child's lips. Turning to his dead son he asked, "Just what is going on here?"

The little girl pressed a kiss on his cheek and laid her head down on his shoulder, "Daddy we came home. We were lost for a while with Mommy's sister. She looked just like Mommy, but her hair was longer. She said to call her Dr. Carter. She helped us get home, and we waited for you to come back. Where were you? Can we all stay here with you now? I didn't like living in the mountain."

Swallowing, he looked over at Charlie and without words he demanded an explanation. Rubbing the back of his neck Charlie said, "I hoped that I would be able to explain it all to you before you saw her. We came through the quantum mirror with Dr. Carter. She helped us..."

He was interrupted by Morgan's, "Ah," She held up her finger in a perfect imitation of Jack. "Stop it, Charlie. You sound like Mommy. Nobody cares about how we got here. Where is mommy?" she asked looking around the room for her mother.

Jack's eyes met the child's again and he felt his heart melt. She was his, even if he had no part in her birth. A wave of love washed over him, only to be followed by sadness. She was what they had given up, what could have been.

Holding her close, Jack fought the tears that collected in his eyes. He and Carter had given up so much, lost so much time, but this little girl and Charlie might be their chance for love and redemption.

Morgan seeing the tears said, "It's all right Daddy. We're all safe now. You, me, Charlie, and Mommy." Looking around the room she did not see her mother. "She was with you and the snake men. I saw her fall down, but you saved her, didn't you?"

Opening his mouth , Jack tried to come up with a reason for Carter to be missing without worrying Morgan. His mind came up with nothing and he closed his mouth again.

How do you explain to a little girl that her parents are dead and she will be raised by two unmarried people who look just like them? Also that her mother knows nothing about her yet and has gone home to her own house.

Lifting his gaze to Charlie, he asked what to do. Shrugging, Charlie came over and tried to take Morgan back to bed. Morgan sensing something was wrong would not let go of Jack. "Mommy, I want Mommy," became her mantra at ever increasing volume.

Managing to loosen her grip enough to speak, Jack said, "Bring me the phone, I'll call Carter and get her over here to calm Morgan down. We'll have to explain everything to her."

Nodding, Charlie crossed to the table beside the couch and grabbed the phone. He had just handed it to Jack when there was a knock at the door. Morgan's cries had quieted down, but she still had more than enough volume so that they could not hide her from whoever was at the door.

The door knob turned and the door slowly opened. Sam stood in the doorway, too worried about bothering the Colonel than listening to what was happening in the house. "Sir, I'm sorry to bother you but my car won't start. Can I use your pho..." Her eyes fell on the Colonel with a screaming little girl in his arms and a teenage boy standing beside him.

At the sound of her voice, the girl began to renew her fight to be let go. "Mommy, I want Mommy. Daddy, Charlie I need mommy. Put me down." she was now fighting to get down but Jack tried to hold on to her.

Sam's eyes met Jack's over the screaming child. "Colonel what-- I'll just go." She tried to duck out the door, but before she could Morgan bit Jack.

"You're not going anywhere Carter. That is an order." He tried to control Morgan's descent to the floor as much as he could, but she stumbled as she tried to run to Sam.

"Mommy don't leave me. Stay, please stay." Watching the little girl come closer while holding out her arms to be picked up, Sam knelt down, catching her in her arms as Morgan leapt the last few inches. "Mommy, you're safe. I knew you would be. Those bad men could not hurt you or daddy. Now we can be a family again."

The little girl buried her face in Sam's neck and sighed contently. After a moment, she looked up and pointed an accusing finger at Jack, "Daddy wouldn't tell me where you were. I thought that you might be dead like Uncle Daniel. I saw you fall down and Daddy yelled just as we went through the mirror thingy. I met your sister. She had longer hair than you do. I called her Dr. Carter like she told me to."

Holding on to the little girl, Sam tried to right her world now that it had been knocked sideways. In her arms was her child - their child - her and Jack's child, and she had just heard what must have been her alternate's death as well as Jack's. Her mind shut down and all she could do was hold onto the little girl in her arms. At that moment it was her only reality.

At the sound of another voice, Charlie turned and saw Major Samantha Carter, not Major Samantha O'Neill. Tears filled his eyes as his brown ones met her blue. This Sam was safe and so was this father. He moved his gaze from her to Jack. Both were wearing their dress blues and they were a striking pair.

It was interesting to watch them. After letting go of Morgan, Jack moved closer to Sam without a thought. He watched as Jack helped Sam to sit down on the couch and sat close to her. After a moment, Jack turned to him. "Can you get her a glass of water, Charlie?"

The boy nodded and disappeared into the kitchen. The boy's name seemed to break through her daze, "Charlie? You're Charlie?"

Rubbing his temple Jack answered, "Sort of. That mirror thingy, didn't I blow it to kingdom come?"

Looking at the now sleeping girl and the kitchen door, "Yes I was there with you, but they had to come from somewhere."

Coming back into the room with a glass of water, Charlie said, "NID found another one before Dad shut down their secret operation a few years ago." his eyes flicked to Jack at his slip, who just waved for him to continue, "The mirror was stored somewhere in a NID warehouse. In my reality, Dad hid the mirror because we losing to the Goa'uld. Mom, Carter, was able to mask the gate so they could not find it. Three months passed and we lived in the mountain. Launching attacks from there. We could not use the gate without giving ourselves away."

Tears filled Charlie's eyes, "Then we were all betrayed, some of the people made it through the gate. Dad knew we were out of time and so we headed for the mirror which was closer. We had met Dr. Carter when she was looking for worlds that had won the war. She told Dad that if he ever needed, she would find us a place to live. But the Goa'uld found us. Mom fell first. Dad yelled at me to get through the mirror and he tried to help her, but he was hit, too. The last thing he did was smash the mirror. We can't go back."

Jack reached out and touched the little girl's hair. He wasn't sure just what they were going to do, but there was no way he was going to let these children go now that he had them. He was not the biological parent, but as of this moment, he was their parent. His eyes met Car- no Sam's and he knew she felt the same way, she was never one to argue with herself either.

"Why don't you get her back to bed. It's late and I should call the General. He will want to know about this." He motioned to the two children.

Nodding, Sam stood and carried Morgan into the spare room. She laid the girl down on the bed and covered her with the blanket up to her chin. Touching her hair, Sam was amazed at how much she loved this little girl already.

Morgan curled up on her side and said, "I love you mommy. I'm glad that you and daddy are safe. I was worried when you did not come and find us right away. I thought we had lost you like we lost Uncle Daniel."

Tears came to her eyes. Was this what they had given up and denied themselves to save the world? Was it too late or was this little girl their second chance at the life they had given up when they chose the Air Force over a life together.

The Goa'uld were still out there, but others could take over the fight on the front lines, the children were more important now. They had not asked for this, but now that it was here, she was planning to give up her whole career for her children.

Fatigue washed over her and she decided it was time to get a few moments of shuteye. Jack would wake her when General Hammond arrived. Lying down beside Morgan, Sam relaxed for the first time in a long time and slept soundly.

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There you are. Another one bits the dust. This story is 20 chapters long so there is more for you all to enjoy. Leave a review and make me smile. ~Kelleth~


	3. Love Can Build A Bridge

**Author's Note:** Here is number three as promised. Enjoy this one as well. I made some changes to this one late in the writing process and I think it made it way better. All I did was more a bit from a later chapter to here. I think it was something that both Sam and Jack needed to be sooner rather than later.

To my anonymous reviewers: **SGAussie ():** I hope it was worth the wait. I love this one, okay I love the story but this one more than the others. It turned out so nicely in the end. **KenmoreSq (): **Here it is. I post Mon, Wed and Fri and one chapter on the weekend if there is enough reviews. It takes a lot of time to prep chapters for posting and I do have a family of five kids that I homeschool. So I can't take the time to post everyday. **yolie (): **Glad you like it. Here you go enjoy.

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Jack hung up the phone after his short conversation with the General. For the first time, he was alone with Charlie. Jack looked at the boy before him and it hurt. This was what his Charlie would have looked like if he had lived, but this was not his son. It was another O'Neill's son, one whose Charlie lived. He wondered what had happened differently to change that future.

Swallowing, Jack tried to find something to say to this boy, his son, but not his son.

Charlie knew his father well enough to know what was happening and he sighed, "I know I'm not your son and I never will be, but Morgan needs you and M-Sam. She is too young to understand what happened to our parents. I...." Tears coursed down his cheeks and Jack could not stay away any longer. Gathering Charlie in his arms, he let the boy cry for his lost parents, himself and the life he lost.

Charlie was the first one to pull away and Jack let him go. If this whole mess was hard for him, he could not imagine what it was doing to Charlie. The boy had watched both of his parents die and had seen the world that he had lived in vanish forever. Jack could only be there if, and when, the boy wanted to talk or send him to Sam.

Studying the boy, he could see his fatigue. He may not be the Charlie he raised, but the mannerisms were the same. "Lie down and get some sleep. I will wake you if General Hammond needs to talk to you. You're safe now, Sam and I will keep you safe. No Goa'uld will find you here."

Charlie lay down on the couch and Jack covered him with a blanket from the hall closet. Their eyes met and Charlie asked, "We will be able to stay won't we? The SGC was all that was left of the human race on earth. There was a Beta site, but I never knew where that was. Dad thought that it was too dangerous for us to know. He smashed the mirror to save us and you. He gave his life to get us here, please don't let it be a waste. We have nowhere else to go."

Swallowing, Jack answered, "I don't know son. I can't make any promises. We'll know more after we talk to Hammond. I can't see any reason why you can't stay." Reaching out, he ruffled Charlie's hair much like he had done to his son.

For the first time since Jack had seen Charlie, the boy relaxed and he drifted off to sleep. Dad was here, he and Sam would protect them together, nothing could happen to them now.

Jack watched Charlie for a moment longer. This was not his son but he already loved this boy. Just like you can love more than one of your children, he loved more than one Charlie. His son was dead, but this boy wasn't and he needed him, and Jack would be there for him and Morgan. Turning away, he decided that, although he knew this to be true, this whole mess was still confusing.

Running his hands though his hair, he walked toward the room where Car- Sam had taken Morgan. The two of them looked so good together and they were his now, Sam was part of this deal. His two girls smiling that smile meant only for him. He wanted everything, he was no longer going to settle for waiting, or someday, any longer.

Sam lay there, curled up around Morgan, sleeping. It had been a long day and part of him wanted to join them and sleep soundly in the comfort of a family. First, there had been a long day of meetings in Washington, the flight home, and now they were parents.

All these emotions washed over him leaving him at peace for the first time since Charlie had died. He wondered why he and Sam had denied them this for so long- a family. It was time to face the music since they had been avoiding the dance for so long.

Sam's coat and shoes lay forgotten on the floor. He picked up her coat, laid it on the back of the chair before sitting beside her on the bed. He took a minute to study her as he had Charlie. She looked so relaxed, Jack had known Sam for a long time and he had never seen her like this, so calm and peaceful. He wanted to let her sleep, but he knew that Hammond would want to talk to both of them.

Shaking her gently he said, "Sam, you need to wake up."

Jerking awake, her eyes met Jack's. There was something there that she never thought she would see. No longer were his emotions hidden and she was surprised by the intensity there, but he blinked and it was gone, and he focused on Morgan. His eyes softened and Sam knew that he would fight just as hard as she would to keep these children safe.

He stood and offered her his hand to help her off the bed. Once she was standing, Sam began to pat and finger comb her hair. Smiling, Jack watched her, no matter how long she slept, whether it was eight minutes or eight hours, it was a beautiful mess and he loved it.

Trying to ignore the rush of emotions she was feeling, she asked, "Yes Colonel, what is it?" she asked.

"Hammond will be here soon and I have some things I need to say before then. Follow me." He said while leading the way out of the room.

* * *

Once she was in the kitchen, Sam immediately crossed to the fridge and grabbed the first can of something she found. She needed it to keep her hands steady so that Jack would not notice them trembling.

In his own corner of the kitchen, Jack was pacing three steps to the right and then to the left. She approached him slowly. "Colonel are you alright?" Reaching out, she laid her hand on his shoulder and he spun around.

"Ya think, Sam? My dead son, now seven years older, is asleep on the sofa and our daughter, who is not our daughter, is in my spare room and I have no idea what to do about it. Yeah, I'm just peachy. "

"Sir, you need to keep your voice down." Sam whispered trying not to give in to the rush of hysteria that threatened to engulf her.

"I think we are way past Sir and Carter now, don't you think." Jack said sadly, "Sam, what are we going to do?" Using her first name was bittersweet.

"I don't know - Jack." she stumbled over his name as she sat down at the table.

Watching her spin the unopened can made Jack wonder just what she was thinking. It had been over two years since the _Za'tarc_ incident and they had left their admissions in that room. Did she feel trapped because she no longer felt the same way about him? They had never spoken about what happened after that day, she could have moved on with someone else. He had said someday they would be together, but too many years had stretched out before them. He would begrudge her happiness if she found it with someone else.

Looking away, he tried to hide the pain of her smiling her special smile for anyone else. Resting his hands on the counter, he tried to gain control of his fears that he had lost her before he ever had her. That he would fail this Charlie, too and crush the beautiful spirit that was his daughter.

Her gentle touch on his shoulder was almost his undoing. "Jack? Do you want to do this together? If you want to I will fight for us - for our new family. I -" the words she practiced in her head now sounded silly, but she said them anyway, "I meant what I said in that room and I still do. I want us still to be a family. We owe it to those children and ourselves. Jack, it's time to stop pretending."

Turning swiftly, he gathered her in his arms. "Are you proposing Sam?" He used her name like an endearment.

From the shocked expression on her face, she wasn't, but it was replaced with that smile he loved. "Are you accepting, Sir?"

"What would you do if I said yes." he leaned closer, "We have saved the world enough times that we should be able to call in some favors. But could it really be that easy? Sam, you have hardy spoke to me since Daniel-" he paused trying to think of a word to explain what happened that day, "left. Can we really just move on from there? Find happily ever after at the end of the rainbow?"

Sam looked up surprised, he never wanted to talk about Daniel. It was as taboo a subject as their feelings. It was something that was just there between them never talked about. "I don't know Sir, but before we can even try there is something I need to know. I wanted to ask earlier but I never had to courage to ask and you have never offered anything willingly." she stopped and met his eye taking a fortifying breath before continuing, "If we want to do this, I need to know. Why did you let Daniel go?"

Jack reached out and took her hand. "Sam, I haven't been very happy with myself since- " He stopped, showing for the first time that he didn't totally have control of his emotions, where Daniel was concerned. "Daniel left."

She squeezed his hand, "Jack, I know it's been hard. He was just suddenly gone, we had no chance to prepare for it. You wouldn't talk about him or how you were feeling because this time he was really gone. Oh, I know he's out there somewhere," she waved her hand in the air, "but he's not with us, not really. I could tell that you were angry with him, angry that he left us and left you." she squeezed his hand to show her understanding. "Yet you let him go. You told Dad to stop healing him. I never understood why."

Looking away, Jack stared at a spot on the floor. "It was what he wanted. He wanted to move on and leave us. That Oma person offered him the chance to Ascend and he took it, knowing that his life wouldn't be worthwhile in the state his body would have been in. He thought he could do more out there," looking up he waved his hand vaguely in the air just as Sam had done, "Than he could as part of SG-1. He could do it without us." his voice broke and his eyes swam with unshed tears. He turned his head staring at the wall to hide them ashamed that he was not in total control of his emotions.

Sam watched, amazed at how open he was, using her hand, she turned his face to look at her. Hearing what he had to say, Sam understood what Jack had gone through, what Daniel had asked of him. Daniel had brought Jack back from the edge of the abyss he found himself in when his Charlie had died, and he then had to say goodbye to Daniel as well.

"He's still with us Jack, he's in here." she touched the space above his heart. "We just have to remember Daniel for who he was, our friend, and then he'll be there when you need him."

Jack's hand covered hers where it rested and he sighed. Sam felt his whole body relax as months of tension flowed out of him and somehow she knew they would be all right.

Lifting her hand to his lips he asked, "Forgive me? I was a jerk. I should have explained everything right away, but how could I? I just didn't know how, words don't come very easily to me, but I want to say this before I lose my nerve. I love you Sam. I want this to work out between us, not just for Morgan and Charlie, but for us. Sam, we have been on the outside looking in for so long, this is our chance, and we have to take it."

With tears in her eyes, Sam leaned forward, "Me, too." and then she kissed him. It was gentle at first, but then it became much more intense. It was better than the Brocca incident and the time loop put together. This time they were on the same page and in total agreement with what was happening. The two of them had come home.

* * *

Things are moving along much faster in this one than they usually do in my stories. I didn't give them much time to dither. I felt that they needed to put up or shut up. Morgan and Charlie needed them to be their parents and to give them a home-not a place or two to live.

Anyway I hope you liked it. Let me know either way. Your reviews really do make me smile and the more of them their are the bigger it gets. ~Kelleth~


	4. Sir, We Have a Problem

**Author's Note:** Here is number four. Thank you to all those who are returning readers. Yes, **Yalla** my smile is huge how can it not be. So keep those reviews coming. Also some of you have noticed that Sam and Jack getting together is a little different that usual. As I have told those who reviewed I was tired of writing a scared and waffley Sam and decided to do it a little different. I hope it still works for everyone.

**A side note:** I am all done typing up my next fic Baby Mine, Ours?. If all goes well I will have it back from my betas and ready to post by the time this one is done. I will now turn my attention to Dreams of the Soul the sequel to Wishes of the Heart. Also does anyone know where exactly in Minnesota Jack's cabin is? I don't remember if they ever said more than just Minnesota.

**To my anonymous reviewers:** **nath452 ():** Thank you I'm glad you like it. Here is your more. Enjoy. **dp ():**Here you go. Thank you for the compliment. I'm proud of it. **Yolie (): **Well things can't be that easy can they. This is Sam and Jack after all, but I admit this story is a little different that my usual ones. So sit back and enjoy.

* * *

A knock at the door caused them to jump apart. Sam tried to break out of his arms, but he held on tight. Laying his forehead against hers, he said, "We fight- for us. We have never given up and we won't, not now."

All she could do was nod, she was so overwhelmed by the emotions. This was really happening, after all this time and all the hurt. They were going to go forward.

With her agreement, he let her go and crossed over to the door to let the General in. Giving Sam one last look, he opened the door.

"Major, Colonel, you asked to speak to me?" His eyes searched each officer for any signs of guilt or remorse. He was a little worried about why they asked to speak to him at three am after a week long trip to Washington together.

Not wanting to jump to any conclusions or force them to tell him more than he needed to know, he waited, studying them. They still wore their dress uniforms or most of them. Jack had removed his jacket and his tie with the top two buttons of his shirt undone. Sam had removed her jacket and shoes. There was no air of guilt around them, why had they called him here?

The two younger officers exchanged looks and Jack spoke, "Sir, we have a problem."

"What about?" The General swallowed, he was beginning to get very worried. He knew about the Zar'tac incident, how close they were during the memory stamp, and numerous other incidents that he had glossed over in his reports through the years. They always seemed to have their feelings under control and so he felt no reason to say anything officially about it.

Jack and Sam exchanged glances again before Jack continued, "Charlie's here and he brought his little sister with him."

Hammond's brows furrowed, "Charlie, the boy who saved us from the Reetu or the Crystal alien?"

Shaking his head Jack answered, "Neither. He is my - well another O'Neill's son. They came through that mirror thingy hidden away in some NID warehouse with the help of Dr. Carter, you remember she came through with Kawalski? She got them here and then returned to her own reality before that weird stuff happened again."

"Entropic cascade failure," Carter interrupted.

Scowling, Jack continued, "Where they come from, Carter and O'Neill are dead and Earth has been overrun with snakeheads. They have nothing to go back to."

Placing her hand on Jack's shoulder, Carter stepped forward, "General Hammond, the little girl is the daughter of that Carter and O'Neill and she thinks that we are her parents. The Colonel and I," Jack covered her hand with his. "Want to be her parents."

Hammond relaxed, this he could deal with, having to court martial his two favorite officers he could not. "What can I do to help?" This was one of those incidents where he was very glad he had one of those red phones. "Just tell me what you need and I will try and get it for you."

Carter squeezed Jack's hand and he said, "The children need us more than SGC does right now. SG-1 has not been in good shape since Daniel's death. I'm requesting a month's leave for Carter and I. Also the bending of regulations so that we can get married."

Blinking, Hammond smiled, "Let me see what I can do. I want those children brought to the mountain so Dr. Frasier can have a look at them. I will need to assure the President that they are healthy and have brought nothing through the mirror with them.

"For crying out loud General. I am not waking those kids up again. They have been through hell and I'm not dragging them out of bed to bring them to the mountain tonight. We just got them back to sleep." His voice was getting louder and louder with each word.

Sam interrupted, "Yes Sir, we'll have them in by 0900. We'll see you then and give you a full report."

Standing, the General smiled at these two people who seemed on the verge of having everything they wanted. "Very good then. I'll see you in the morning." Both Sam and Jack stood and watched him leave again through the back door.

* * *

George left Carter and Jack alone, after promising that he would do what he could to help them. Suddenly, everything was awkward between them. They had permission, but not. The General had made no firm promises and one or both of them might still have to resign. That no longer mattered, they were now parents and their children were more important than their careers.

Sam twirled the still unopened can and yawned. "It's time for bed Sam." Jack motioned in the direction of the bedrooms down the hall.

Still bound by habit, she responded, "Sir?"

He smiled at her confusion but put her fears to rest,"You take my bed, and I will take the hide-a-bed in the den. We still don't have an official okay, and until we do, I think we should keep the status quo. See you in a few hours. First door on the left, bathroom is attached. Sweats are in the top drawer on the left, t-shirts are in the next drawer and it's Jack."

"Yes, Sir, ah _Jack_. Sorry habit. I will see you in the morning." turning, she headed up the stairs.

Once inside Jack's bedroom, Sam stopped. In all the time they had known one another, neither had dared to venture into this part of each other's lives. Hesitating for a moment, Sam crossed the room and opened the drawer. Reaching in, she grabbed one of the pants from the top of the pile and did the same for the t-shirt in the next one.

A few minutes later, she laid in bed unable to sleep, her brain refused to shut down. It rushed back and forth over everything that had happened. Everything in the room screamed Jack. His clothes hung in the closet, his shoes lay abandoned beside the dresser. The sheets even smelled like him.

Rolling over, she tried to get comfortable but sleep still remained elusive. She had been up for over twenty-four hours, but her brain was running on overdrive.

Her eyes fell on a picture beside the bed. In the half-light, she could see the shape of a single person in the picture. Lifting it from its place, she tilted it toward the light coming through the window. She expected it to be of Charlie and was surprised to see herself smiling back from inside the frame.

On her head was one of those goofy desert hats, her hair was mid length and on her face was one of her classic smiles. It usually appeared when Jack cracked one of his jokes, but since Daniel's death both the jokes and smiles had been missing.

Setting it back down, she wondered where he had got it. Studying the picture, she tried to recall why it looked familiar and where she had seen it before. Then she remembered taking it down off of the wall in Daniel's office, only in that picture, the Colonel was standing beside her laughing at his own joke and it was a few moments before this one.

In Daniel's, he had been looking at her and she at him. It was one of those moments that they tried to forget and pretend had never happened. Lying to themselves that their feelings were still shut away in that room, never to escape.

Their someday was close now, but would they be able to make it past Daniel. Since his death the two of them had changed the tone of their pretending. Daniel stood between them, and Jack never talked about him and Sam wanted to, she needed to understand why he had decided to just let him go. Until he did, they could never be together, not really.

Turning again, she tried to think of how she was going to tell her father and her brother that she was now the mother of her CO's four year old child. It would be a very interesting conversation and she had no idea what to tell them.

Rubbing her temples, she decided that the whole thing made her head hurt. Snuggling into the pillow, she finally was able to drop off to sleep.

* * *

Jack stared at the ceiling, he knew he should be asleep, but his mind was going overtime. If the General wasn't able to come through, he was going to resign. Nothing Sam could do or say would change his mind. Those two kids needed someone to come home to each night. They had been through hell and back.

Punching the lumpy pillow, he rolled over, he really hated this bed and its pillows. This was what he offered to the guests he really didn't want to stay too long. Maybe he could sneak into his room and take one of his own pillows.

Moving silently through the house, Jack paused to look at Charlie. Is this really what his son would have looked like if he had lived another six years? He had been given a great gift and now he had a chance to make up for so many things.

Leaving Charlie, he crossed to the spare room to look in on Morgan. Her thumb was in her mouth and she slept soundly. He watched her for a few minutes and was about to leave when she called out, "Daddy, please come back."

His heart constricted as he sat down on the bed and rubbed her back. "Shh, it's alright . You're safe now, sleep Morgan." She sighed at the sound of his voice falling back to sleep and Jack stayed with her for a while longer.

Dawn began to push through the curtains, and Jack knew that he needed some sleep and for that, he needed his pillow. Once he reached his bedroom, Jack stopped. There was Sam Carter curled up in his bed. He had known she was there, but that was very different than seeing her there.

He stood there for a while watching her, this woman had agreed to marry him. He still couldn't believe it, but did she really mean as husband and wife. Things had been strained between them and he knew why.

Ever since Daniel had died, a chasm had spread between them. He didn't know if they could truly breech it until she had looked at him with that beautiful little girl in her arms. If he wanted to completely fill in that void, she needed to know the truth about how he felt about her and for how long.

That wasn't going to happen tonight and now he needed his sleep. It wasn't going to come staring at Sam. Slipping to the opposite side of the bed from where she slept, he grabbed the pillow and left before he changed his mind and climbed into bed beside her.

* * *

That's the end of this one. I hope you liked it actually took some from the next chapter because I realized that it belonged in this one. Leave a review and you might get another one this weekend.

As I said last time leave a review and make me smile. The more there are the bigger the smile and the faster I write. ~Kelleth~


	5. Can We Stay?

**Author's note: **Well here we are a quarter of the way through this one. I hope that you are enjoying it. You folks just squeaked out the extra chapter this week. If you want one next week I need to hear from you.

**To my anonymous reviewers: Yalla (): **Sorry it was even shorter before I started to get it ready. I will try to make them longer but I only have so much to say. **;) **Sorry this one is a short one. I'll try to make the next one longer. NightCat() and Dp() Here you go more.

* * *

General Hammond stared at the red phone waiting for his answer. He'd been here for hours now, just waiting. Immediately after leaving Jack and Carter, he headed to the mountain to make a call to the president about the two children sleeping in Jack's house.

Now all he had to do was wait. On his desk sat both Sam and Jack's reports on the children and what they knew of their alternate selves.

Hammond smiled, he would have liked this other Sam Carter, she had spunk. Sadness washed over him at the thought of the deaths of her and Jack. Too many good people had died since this whole thing began, and he had a feeling that many more would follow. A heavy weight settled on his chest and the General felt very weary. Maybe it was time to retire and hand the reins over to another man. He quickly ran over the short list he kept in his head, and made a decision that simplified everything.

The red phone started ringing, jolting him from his thoughts. "Mr. President what have you decided. I have something else for you to ponder."

* * *

Jack paced the infirmary waiting for the kids to be released. He really didn't like having them here, but both children didn't seem to have the same problem. Sam reminded him that they lived here. To Morgan, this was much more of a home than his house.

The PA called them to the briefing room. After letting Charlie know that they were leaving, they left the infirmary together.

"Major, Colonel, I have news. You have been given permission to marry, but a few things have to happen. One, SG-1 will be revamped, two, Major, you will be moved to a new position of R&D and Colonel, you have been promoted to be commander of base operations." He held out his hand to Jack, "Congratulations, Brigadier General. Effective next month."

Jack took his hand, stunned. He had expected that one or both of them would have to leave the SGC. Dropping Hammond's hand, he turned to Sam in a daze and pulled her into his arms. "Sam, are you sure you want to do this?."

"Yes." Tears filled her eyes, but then she stepped back. They would do this for the children and maybe there was a chance that they could find some happiness together, if they could get past Daniel's death.

The General cleared his throat. "You understand that there will be talk about the two of you. I can't stop it and neither can either of you. I want no fighting." he waggled his finger at them.

"Yes sir," they agreed together.

"Now your leave begins immediately. Enjoy the time you have together." The two officers turned to leave when the General stopped them.

"Be happy. It's time to put things behind you. Daniel would have wanted it this way. Think about that." and then he waved them out.

They didn't look at one another as they left the room and returned to the infirmary. Charlie was waiting at the entrance, he looked up , afraid.

Sam opened her arms to the waiting teenager. "Everything is fine , you get to stay. Jack and I are going to get married immediately and then we will be a family. We will have a bunch of legal stuff, but everything should be fine. Your dad has some news."

Charlie hugged her back, "What?"

"Well it seems that I've been promoted. I'm now a General and in a month's time I will be in command of the SGC. Who would have figured?"

Charlie pulled away from Sam and hugged Jack. "That's great. I'm proud of you dad." Charlie stepped back, afraid he'd said the wrong thing.

Smiling Jack, grabbed the boy's shoulder, "Thank you, son." the word felt strange on his tongue, but it fit the moment.

Charlie smiled back, "Will I be able to go to school? I haven't been able to do that since we lost control of the planet." he looked at Sam and then Jack expectantly.

Jack put his hand on his son's back, "I don't know Charlie, we haven't thought that far ahead yet. Too many people may remember the other Charlie and what happened to him. There are still some things that need to be worked out. We are cleared to leave though. Morgan, let's go home."

The little girl hugged Janet, "I missed you. I'm glad that you're safe too."

None of the adults really knew what to say as the little girl skipped out of the door. Jack and Sam smiled, following at a much slower place.

* * *

As Jack and Sam drove down the mountain, Morgan had her face pressed against the car window amazed at the new world. Charlie had kept her inside until Jack and Sam arrived, and now she wanted to play. They passed by a small neighborhood park. "Mommy can we stop and play, please?"

Jack slowed the truck pulling over, "For a little while, but we need to get home. There are some things that we need to plan."

They climbed out of the car and Morgan immediately ran toward the climbing apparatus and slid down the slide. The two adults watched her, glad to see her so happy.

Charlie stayed beside them, but his eyes were on a group of boys playing 500 up. Jack watched his son and understood what the boy was feeling. "Why don't you ask to join them?" he nodded toward the game.

He shook his head, "No, I don't have a glove, and I know those boys. I don't know if they will let me play."

Jack studied the boys, trying to see if he recognized any of them from his Charlie's friends. "Who are they?"

Charlie named them off quickly and Jack spoke again, "None of them knew my Charlie. Besides, I have a glove in my truck. It's under the seat. Go and get it. Talk to them. You need to find a new life here. It's time to start Charlie." He handed him the keys and made shooing motions with his hands.

Sam stood beside Jack as they watched Charlie cross to the truck and then over to the boys. "Is this a good idea? What if they did know your Charlie?"

"This should be fine, Charlie's friends were all Air Force brats. He went to a school close to the base, that was where we lived. These boys aren't from there. You can just tell. I hope they will let Charlie play, it will be good for him. I don't think he's had much of a chance to be a kid for a while."

* * *

Sam had never been as nervous as she was watching as Charlie approached these boys. He never hesitated as he crossed the field to them, and Sam was very proud of him. She could not imagine what he had gone through, but she hoped that he would be able to find some semblance of peace with his new life.

But what Charlie showed the world was much different that what he felt inside as he approached the boys. He knew all of them well in his world, they had all gone to the same schools, played on the same teams and had crushes on the same girls. Charlie had always been one of their group, but now he was a stranger.

Stopping next to Calvin, the boy, with the bat he asked, "May I play, too? I'm new in town and I don't know anyone yet?"

The rest of the group came closer, "Who's this? What does he want?" Jimmy the tallest boy in the group asked.

Nodding to Charlie, Calvin said, "He wants to play with us, any objections?"

The others shook their heads, but Jimmy studied Charlie for a moment before shrugging, "I guess so."

Motioning to the outfield, Calvin said, "Head out with the others. It's five hundred up. A hundred points for a fly ball, fifty for a grounder. If it has bounced more than once it's dead.

Smiling, Charlie nodded, he knew the game, they always played it on Saturday afternoons at this park. Smacking the pocket in the glove, he got ready for the first hit. The first few were out of his range, but one came right at him low to the ground. Charlie caught it just before it hit the ground.

His next few catches were just as impressive. Before he knew it he was up to bat. Unsure what Calvin would do, Charlie approached him. "It's my turn up to bat, if that is all right?"

Calvin shrugged and offered him the bat, "Sure- uh what's your name?"

"Charlie, Charlie O'Neill. I live just over there. I'm new in town." Charlie took the bat.

"Really what school are you going to attend?" Calvin asked, getting excited, baseball try outs were this week and they could use another good player.

Rubbing the back of his neck, "We're not sure yet. We haven't looked into schools yet. I just arrived to live here."

Heading out into the field Calvin replied, "Well think about Central, we could use another good player like you."

One of the other boys, Mike called from the field, "You two stop gabbing and let's play ball. I have to go home soon."

"Sure thing," Calvin said, heading quickly out to the field. Charlie tossed up the ball and smacked it with the bat and for a while he was home again.

* * *

There another one bites the dust. Let me know if you liked it or loved it? ~Kelleth~


	6. Weathering the Storm

**Author's Note: **Here is another chapter. Someone asked about Sara O'Neill. She is alive and that is all I'm going to say other than read on.

To my anonymous reviewers: **SGAussie ():** All I can say is thank you. I'm glad that I make you smile as well. Yes, Charlie kinda hijacked this story in parts. So I hope you all still like it. **dp ():** Well you will have to wait and see. I love speculation but I try not to give the story away. That would spoil the surprise.** ;)**

* * *

Jack and Sam sat on a bench beside each other, watching Morgan play, while keeping a less dedicated eye on Charlie and the other boys.

Their silence was companionable, and they were just content to be with each other. After a while Jack reached up and took Sam's hand and squeezed it. She turned her head to look at him, "Yes Jack?"

"Sam are you still okay with all this. It's been pretty quick," Jack asked with a little fear in his voice.

She brought their hands up to her lips and kissed them, "I wouldn't want it any other way. Jack, I have wanted this for a long time but I was scared. Scared to take a step forward. I have never been good with men and relationships but I know that I'm ready for this because I want this so much. I love you Jack and I want to give these children a home."

Jack's smile was almost as big as Sam's. "Good!" he reached up and cupped her face with his hands and met hers with a kiss.

They got lost in the moment until Sam felt a tug on her sleeve. "Mommy, I have to go potty. Can we go home now?" Both adults turned to find Morgan standing there with her thumb in her mouth.

Scooping her up, Jack threw the little girl over his shoulder, "Sure Sunshine. Let's go. Sam, can you get Charlie?"

"Sure, meet you at the truck?" Sam asked heading toward where the boys were still playing baseball.

* * *

As she drew closer, she called, "Charlie, Morgan's ready to go. It's time to leave."

Charlie looked at the other boys and called, "Calvin, I have to go now. I'll see you later."

He dropped the bat and started to follow Sam when the other boy called, "Hey Charlie, can I get your number so I can call you the next time we play."

Looking at Sam who nodded, Charlie gave the boy Jack's phone number. Jimmy came over and gave Charlie a nudge, "Is that your Mom? She's hot. Isn't she a little young?"

Taking a deep breath as his hands clenched into fists, it seemed that Jimmy was a jerk here, too. "She's my step mom. She and my Dad are in the Air Force. They don't take crap from anyone," he ground out through clenched teeth.

Sam had started heading across the field while Charlie was giving out the phone number and hadn't heard what the boy had said. Charlie took one last look at Sam and then the boys. "Well I have to go. I'll see you around." He ran after Sam, who put her arm around him as they crossed the field.

Calvin smacked Jimmy on the chest. "Don't be such a punk. Why did you do that?"

"I don't like him. There's something strange about him. I can't put my finger on it." Jimmy stared after the retreating forms of Charlie and Sam.

"Well back off. I like him. He's a good player, and if we can get him to come to Central, we just might be able to beat East High this year," Calvin said, as he grabbed his bat and headed home.

Jimmy watched Charlie, knowing that if he came to his school, he would lose his position as a starter, and he couldn't let that happen. He would find out everything he could about Charlie O'Neill.

* * *

That night after dinner, Sam put Morgan to bed while Jack talked to Charlie. "Are you sure you want to go to the same school you went to....?" Jack stopped, unsure how to explain his son's other life. "It won't be the same you know. The same kids might be there, but they won't know you. It would be a little difficult, but you could stay home, do your school work there," his eyes were full of worry for his son.

Charlie shook his head, "No, I want to go to school. It should be fine Dad. None of those kids there would have known your Charlie. I know that they won't know me. I want this. It won't be the same, but I want a chance to be a kid. I haven't been able to do that for a while."

Amazed at the man his son was becoming, Jack pulled him into a hug, and the boy did not resist. "Alright, I'll see what I can do. I have a meeting with the General tomorrow to go over base operations. He can get us the documents we need to enroll you and Morgan in school." Jack pulled back and ruffled the boys hair and smiled.

He studied Charlie and knew that he had to ask another question, "Do you want to see Sara? She's still alive here. I'm going to tell her that you are alive, she'll understand. She knows about the Stargate, well sort of. I don't want her to hear about you from anyone other than me."

"Mom, Sara? She's alive. I never thought about that when I decided to come here. I don't know, I'll have to think about it. Sam was my Mom for such a long time. I..." tears formed in his eyes.

"I'm going to go up to my room now. I need to think about this." he turned to leave, but then realized that he didn't have a room to go to. Stopping in the hallway he felt alone and lost.

Seeing Charlie's confusion, Jack directed him toward one of the rooms down the hall. "The den is yours. We'll move the stuff out and down to the basement tomorrow. The hide-away-bed is not very comfortable , but it is only for tonight. Now that we have the okay for you two to stay, we can buy what we don't have. The General pulled some strings, and Sam and I are getting married tomorrow after my meetings. Jake is coming through the gate tomorrow, and we'll tell him all about this." he motioned between him and Charlie, unsure what to call the situation.

He studied Charlie, who seemed to have gained control again, "Are you okay with all this? I know it is a lot to take in."

Charlie looked at Jack and thought about what he should say before he answered, "I don't know, seeing those guys today was a little hard. In my world, they are all most likely dead. Colorado Springs was devastated by the Goa'uld. General Hammond tried to evacuate as many people as he could, but not many of them made it to the gate," he looked away as he remembered O'Neill and Carter's deaths. They had given their lives so that the two of them could get to safety.

The emotions that rolled across the boy's face surprised Jack. When the boy looked away to hide his tears, Jack pulled him into his arms once again. "It's alright Charlie. You're allowed to cry for them. Neither Sam or I will be offended if you mourn them. They are your parents and you loved them. We may look like them but we aren't them. They loved you and were proud of you, I know this because I feel the same way. Never be afraid to cry for someone you love."

As Charlie broke down in his arms, Jack hoped that his son would not lock himself away like he had done with Sara when his Charlie died.

After a while, Jack relaxed his hold, letting Charlie decide when to let go. Pulling away, Charlie smiled an awkward smile, "I'm going to my room now. See you in the morning Dad."

* * *

Jack watched him go and turned to find Sam standing in the doorway. There was a curious expression on her face and the words left her mouth before she could stop them, "Did you ever cry for your Charlie when he died?" Seeing the expression on his face Sam backpedaled, "You don't have to tell me. It's none of my business."

A wave of emotions swept over Jack, but he didn't want Sam to leave him as his walls came down. They seemed to be deteriorating since he had turned around and saw Charlie standing there in the doorway.

He reached out and caught her hand just as she was leaving the hallway. He didn't really know where he was going until he found himself in his bedroom. The door slammed behind him and the world seemed to fade in and out of focus.

The only real thing was Sam's warm hand in his. He heard her voice "Jack -"

Sam stood with him in the middle of the room. He was breathing hard, his back was to her, and she couldn't see his face. They stayed that way for a few minutes. When he didn't say or do anything, Sam dropped his hand. "I'll leave you. I shouldn't have asked that."

He didn't turn around. "Stay. Please stay," his voice trembled as he tried to keep the emotions in check, but something about her words had broken the scab he'd developed on these feelings long ago.

"I uh-" his voice broke, and he took a deep breath and turned to face her. "No, I never did. There was Iraq...I was there for four months of Hell. Sara and I had just managed to get back on an even keel after that. I never talked to her about what happened there. I couldn't, she would never understand what I had to do to survive. It was so ugly, I felt like it stained my soul. The three of us found happiness despite what happened to me. I thought we would have a good life. Sara had even talked about having another child." He was lost in his memories as he stared out the window. His only connection to reality was Sam.

"We were sitting on the front steps. I just came home. Sara showed me his school pictures. In that Moment we were so happy, then the shot shattered it."

Sam could see that he was crying. His tears streamed down his cheeks. She wondered if she should say something when he began speaking again. "He was lying there on our bedroom floor. I've seen many wounded men and even some children but seeing him like that. I froze, this wasn't supposed to happen. He was going to grow up, go to university and do something with his life, but it was all seeping away with each heartbeat. I knew that there was nothing that could be done. My son was dying, and there was nothing I could do. Sara was yelling at me, and I just stood there."

Standing there in the fading light, Sam had no idea what to do. "Jack it wasn't your fault. It was no one's." She reached up and touched his cheek, "Forgive yourself Jack. I know that your Charlie would want you to."

He turned toward her, but pulled his face away from her gentle touch, "How can I?! He laid there bleeding to death, and I froze. Sara finally wrapped him in the quilt from the bed and got him out to her car." his hand traveled up to his cheek, "She slapped me on the way out the door. Her voice was so hard when she asked me if I was coming to the hospital. I drove us there, but I don't remember doing it. We sat there while he was in surgery, it was like she didn't even know me. I could feel her contempt for me."

He raked his free hand through his hair, "It was hours later when the doctor came out and told us they had managed to get the bullet out. Although his chances for survival weren't good. They let us in to see him. We sat with him, still not touching. After a while, he woke up. He reached for my hand, he said-"

Jack collapsed to his knees and Sam knelt beside him, as he continued, "He said, 'Dad I love you, it wasn't your fault.", and then he slipped away." sobs shook his body as he cried, for the first time, for the son he had lost and Sam held him through the storm.

* * *

Leave a review please. I would love to hear your thoughts. ~Kelleth~


	7. Telling Jake

Author's Note: Hello again. Thank you all for returning to my story again. I hope you enjoy this chapter, the wedding is coming but I had somethings that I needed to deal with first. Like Sam's Dad **;0)**. So ready and away and enjoy.

To my anonymous reviewers: **SGAussie ();** I came very close when I read it over again before I posted it. It was a gut wencher.

* * *

Early the next morning, the rearrangement of the furniture began. As soon as the extra furniture was moved out to the garage, Jack gathered everyone up and they headed out shopping. It took a while, but just before lunch, they had it all arranged to the children's liking.

Once that was done, they headed up the mountain to meet Jake. Most of the day, Jack and Sam waffled on whether or not he and or the kids should be there when Jacob was told about the kids. He was a little bit afraid of the General's reaction to the fact that his daughter and her CO had a child together. In the end, he decided that having the kids there might just save his life.

They quickly passed through security, and arrived in the briefing room, leaving Charlie and Morgan in Jack's new office. Sam and Jack entered to find Jacob, host to Selmak, pacing.

Seeing Sam safe and sound, he ran over hugging her tightly, "When I got that message, I assumed the worst. George said that you needed me here, but he wouldn't explain anything until you got here. He said I needed to hear it from you. So spill Sam, what's up?"

Sam looked behind her at Jack who nodded. Jacob's eyes fell on Jack standing close, almost too close. What was going on here? His brows creased with confusion. His gaze passed over the new stars on Jack's collar and he held out his hand, "Congratulations on the promotion. I didn't know."

Was this what this was all about, Jack's promotion? He studied the two of them. Jake shook his head, something was going on here, and it had to do with their relationship. Something had changed since he was here the last time; it had been frosty between them at best since they lost Daniel.

Opening her mouth, Sam tried to say the words, but nothing came out. She tried to stop herself, but she looked over at Jack, pleading with him to say it. And he did, "Sam and I are getting married." Jack threw it out before he lost his nerve, too.

"What-" was the only thing that came out of Jake's mouth before Charlie burst into the room.

"Mom, Dad someone just grabbed Morgan. A couple of men were walking down the hallway and we were just standing in the doorway watching them. When they passed by us, Morgan pointed to one of them and said, 'That is a bad man. He shot Mommy.' I told her to stop being silly and went back into the office, leaving her by the door. When I turned around she was gone. We have to find her."

Jake looked from Jack to Sam. This boy had just called them Mom and Dad. What on earth was going on? _~ Calm down Jacob, there must be some explanation for this. Look at the boy, there is no way that Sam could be this boy's mother in that way. They didn't even know each other back then. Breathe deeply before you speak. ~_ Selmak said.

Heading her advice, Jake took a deep breath and said, "Who is this boy and why is he calling you Mom and Dad?" Jake couldn't hide the confusion in his voice.

The boy turned towards him, Jacob was the only grandfather he had known. Holding out his hand to Jake, he said, "I'm Charlie O'Neill."

Sam broke in then, "Not now Dad." Turning to Charlie she asked, "What do you mean she's gone? Where did she go?

Charlie looked at all the adults in the room, "I didn't think he heard her. I mean how could I have known that he would be a Goa'uld here as well. He never stopped or even broke stride. I know that I'm making assumptions, but he was the only person we had seen in the corridor that would have a reason to take her."

Jack touched Charlie's shoulder, "Did you get a good enough look at him to tell us what he looks like?"

Charlie nodded, "I didn't need to, I know the man. Morgan was right, in our universe, he killed our Mom and Dad. It was Sergeant Miller."

Jack looked at Sam, "We'll find her. They can't have gone far." he crossed the room and grabbed the red phone. "I want this base on lock down. I want Sergeant Miller found. He may have a little girl with him, so I advise caution. He may also be armed."

Jacob was left staring at Jack's dead son, who was now very much alive. He had never actually seen pictures of the boy, but he'd heard about his death from Sam. Looking at this boy though, there could be no question that he was Jack O'Neill's son, the man's features showed in his face and the way the boy stood screamed Jack as well. Rubbing the back of his neck he asked, but not sure he wanted to know, "Ah, who is Morgan?"

Charlie looked over at Sam and Jack, wondering if he should wait for them to tell Jake, but they were busy, "She's my sister. Sam and Jack's daughter, she's five. We're from-"

"What?!" Jake knew that he should really form longer sentences, but he couldn't seem to put the words together. Anger rushed over him. How could this have happened? If the girl was five, that would mean that she was born sometime during the first year of the Stargate program. Why didn't he know about it? He and Sam had not been close at the time, but this was something you should share with even an estranged father.

Again Selmak stepped in before Jacob could do something stupid. _~Jacob I see that I must remind you again. Look at that boy. He is not Jack's son, at least not our Jack's son. Something has happened here and you need to wait and listen to their explanation. If that boy is not Jack's, it stands to reason that the girl will not be theirs as well, but some other Sam and Jack's. Now shut up and let someone explain it to you.~_

Charlie watched his grandfather, or the man who looked just like him, and he knew just what he was thinking. He knew Jacob well enough to know that Jack was going to get punched if he didn't do something quickly. After all, he had not explained it very well, "No grandpa, it's not like that. Morgan and I come from another universe. Your daughter and Jack have chosen to give Morgan and me a home. Our Earth was over run by the Goa'uld. I saw-" his voice broke as he tried to gain control of his emotions and failed, as tears leaked out of his closed eyes.

Jacob felt all the anger drain away as he saw the boy's sorrow at losing not only his home, but his parents as well. This boy and his sister had been through hell. Like Sam and Jack, he felt a rush of love for this Charlie and his unseen sister. They may not have been his Sam's children, but he loved them as though they were. Reaching out, he pulled the boy into his arms, giving him comfort. "It's all right son. They'll find her. No one's going to hurt her or you."

He felt Charlie relax at his promise and only hoped that it would turn out like they all wanted. Looking over at Sam and Jack, he saw that they were done rousing the base to look for the girl. Now they were standing close together talking about what needed to be done. Jack reached out and wrapped his arm around Sam's shoulder and she leaned into him taking comfort in being close to Jack.

Jake turned away to give them a moment of privacy as he thought about the two of them. He'd known how they felt about each other for a long time. He was never sure that Jack was what he wanted for his daughter, but seeing the two of them together, at last, he could not dispute that Jack loved her and she loved him. As long as Jack made her happy, he would not stand in their way.

* * *

Having started the search for Morgan, Jack came over to stand beside Sam, "We'll find her. There's nowhere that he can go now. This base is all locked down and everyone is looking for him." as he spoke, he wrapped his arm around her, and she melted into him.

Turning her face into his neck, she said, "We have to find her. I can't let her go, not this way. I may not have given birth to her, but I love her and Charlie. She's our child as much as the other me's."

His arms tightened around her, "We won't have to. We'll' find her." He kissed her forehead and said, "We should join the search. When she's found, she'll be scared and she'll want us." Although Jack wanted to stay where he was, standing close to Sam, he knew he couldn't. Sighing heavily, he turned to Jake, "Can you stay here with Charlie while we join the search?"

Her father! Sam had forgotten all about his being in the room. What must he think of her? She pulled herself out of Jack' s arms so quickly that she almost fell over. "Dad, I need to explain-"

Jacob could see the look of horror pass over Sam's face, and shook his head, "It's alright, Sam. Charlie explained everything. I understand what happened. It's alright for you to be happy Sam, you deserve it. I'll be here when you find her."

Hugging her father, she turned to Charlie, "We'll get her back, Charlie." she squeezed his arm and followed Jack out of the room.

* * *

Morgan struggled against the man who had grabbed her. In her mind, she saw him raise the gun to her mother and shoot, as Charlie and her Dad pulled her toward the mirror. She couldn't remember what happened after that, it was all fuzzy, but she knew this man had hurt her Mom. It was his fault she had to leave her home.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, she had to get away and make sure that her Mom and Dad knew about the bad man. He would hurt them again if she didn't warn them. She liked it here, and she didn't want to have to leave again.

Shifting, so that she was able to dig her teeth into Miller's arm, she bit down hard. The Goa'uld screamed and dropped her. Morgan was immediately running down the hallway.

Behind her she could hear the Goa'uld shouting at her, but she just kept running. As long as she ran fast he would not get her. She knew the SGC like the back of her hand. She had lived here, and it was her home. Three more turns and then she would be safe. Her little bolt hole was nearby and the bad man would not be able to find her again.

She looked back and saw that she'd gotten far enough ahead of him that he would not see where she went. Opening the door to a storage closet, Morgan ducked inside closing the door behind her.

It was dark inside the closet, but Morgan didn't move, he was coming and even the smallest sound might give her away. Outside, she could hear the Goa'uld's footsteps pass by, but they did not stop or hesitate. She waited a little while longer to make sure that he didn't come back again before she reached up and turned on the light.

It took a few seconds for the light to blink on, and when it did, the room was different than she expected. All of her special things were gone. Not wanting to think about what this meant, she grabbed some towels from the shelf and made herself a nest, hoping that Mommy and Daddy would be able to find her.

Sliding her thumb into her mouth, she went to sleep.

* * *

My first cliffhanger of this story. It took me to chapter seven this time. More on Friday. Let me know your thoughts I'd love to hear them. ~Kelleth~


	8. Lost and Found

Author's Note: Well I decided to take pity on you guys especially since you have been awesome reviewers. Here is the next chapter and the wedding is still coming in the next chapter. If enough of you review and I will post it on Saturday.

SGAussie (): After writing so many SG-1 stories in a row I find that I worry about two things. One when they tell Jake they are getting married and the wedding. I find I want to make each of these events special and different each time. Glad to see that I manged okay with one of them. Let me know how I did with the wedding that is still to come. **dp(): **Thank you enjoy this one too!

* * *

It didn't take long to locate Sergeant Miller. Once the SFs had him cornered, they radioed Jack. The Goa'uld was very afraid by this time and was reacting irrationally.

Jack stepped forward, "Where is the girl you took? We want her back. That is all we want. If you tell us where she is, we will let you go."

"No, let me go now. I need to leave this place immediately." and he rushed the line of soldiers. One of them panicked and shot the Goa'uld.

Jack watched it fall to the ground wondering how they would find Morgan with their only lead dead, "Cease fire." he waited another long heartbeat to make sure he would not get shot, and then stepped over to the prone Goa'uld, feeling for a pulse. There was none, it was dead.

Sighing, he dropped his head and looked at the floor. This meant that they had to begin a full search of the base. Raising his head, he caught Sam's eye. She must have just arrived. He could see the question in her eyes, but he had no answer for her, so he just shook his head.

Sam stared at the dead Goa'uld, wishing that he had just told them where Morgan was. She stayed there for a moment and then decided to let Jake and Charlie know what had happened. With a heavy heart, she headed to the briefing room.

* * *

When the door opened, Charlie and Jake stood. They had heard the rush of the soldiers out in the hallway and thought that maybe Morgan had been found, but when she wasn't with Sam, they feared the worst.

"Is she all right?" Charlie asked.

"Did you find her?" Jake asked, almost on top the boy's words.

Shaking her head, Sam said, "We don't know yet. Miller was cornered when he tried to access the hatch to the surface. He was killed before he could tell us anything." Sam drew a long slow breath, "I hope he didn't hurt her." she rubbed her arms, hoping that it would help stop the feelings of fear.

Before Jake could move to comfort Sam, Charlie was already there. "Morgan is strong. She's had to be. She'll be just fine, you wait and see. Where did they find Miller?"

"Level 20, he almost had the hatch to the top open, not that it would have done him any good. As soon as Jack put the base on lock down, the code to access the hatch changed, and only a few know the new code. That means she could be anywhere between here and there. It's a lot of ground to cover. I should go help. She's here somewhere, we just have to figure out where he might have hid her." Sam turned to leave the room to rejoin the search, but Charlie caught her arm.

"I know where she is. Follow me." without waiting to see if Jake and Sam were coming, he headed out of the room and ran down the corridor.

Charlie ran through the halls and paused only long enough to wait for the elevator, and that was where Jake and Sam finally caught up with him, just as the doors closed. Sam grabbed Charlie so he couldn't leave without explaining what was going on, "Where are we going?"

"Morgan's hiding place. She had one on every floor. That way, Mom and Dad knew that she had a safe place to go in an emergency. That was where she would go if she got away from the Goa'uld. You guys taught her what to do in a situation like this. When we retreated to the base, it was always a possibility that the Goa'uld would be able to penetrate the defenses eventually.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened, Sam let go of Charlie, and he took off again. He ran through the corridors and stopped at a door. The light was on inside, and Morgan was curled up asleep on the pile of towels.

Sam felt tears in her eyes and she scanned the little girl. There seemed to be nothing wrong with her. Bending her knees, she crouched down beside her. Shaking the child gently she said, "Morgan it's Mom. You can wake up now, I'm here and you're safe."

Sleepily she opened her eyes and rubbed them, "Mommy?" her eyes focused on Sam and she launched herself into her arms. "I knew that you would find me. I just had to wait."

Picking up the girl she asked, "Dad, can you radio Jack and let him know I found her? Tell him to meet me in the infirmary. I want Janet to check her out." then she headed off down the hall with her little girl in her arms and Charlie following behind.

Jake pushed the button on the radio, "Jack this is Jake."

"Yeah Jake, what can I do for you?" came Jack's reply.

"We found Morgan Jack, Sam says to meet her in the infirmary. The little girl was hiding in the utility closet on Level 20."

There was silence for a moment, and when Jack spoke again, you could hear the hardly contained emotion in his voice, "Good. Tell Sam I'll meet her there."

That done, Jake followed the small procession to the infirmary.

* * *

Jack was already there when they walked in the door. He immediately took the little girl from Sam and held both of them close. Then he crossed over to one of the beds and laid Morgan down and then hesitantly stepped back to allow Janet access to the little girl.

Sam spoke as she laid her hand on Jack's shoulder, "I think she's alright. I looked her over quickly I don't think he hurt her."

Jack didn't look away from the bed, "I want them out of here as soon as Janet is done. It's too dangerous for them to be here. I don't want them to be hurt."

Sam could hear the pain in his voice and knew that he wasn't just seeing Morgan in that bed, but his Charlie as well. She squeezed his shoulder. "She's fine Jack but I will take them home. How long will you be here?"

This seemed to snap Jack out of his rut, "I don't know. George and I still have some things to go over before the wedding. It should only take about an hour or so. I know most of the stuff I need to already." he touched her face to show that he wasn't mad at her, only the situation.

"If worst comes to worse, you can bring my service dress with you to the Cadet Chapel, and I'll change there. George said he might have the documents for the kids tonight, so tomorrow or the next day we can see about getting them enrolled in school."

Sam shivered, she had forgotten all about the wedding. They were getting married tonight by a friend of General Hammond's, who was a chaplain. "Sounds fine. Call me when you know more."

Jack bent closer to kiss her, but Sam pulled back, "Not here Jack." she looked around to see if anyone was watching them, but no one was.

Dropping his hand from her cheek, he smiled, "All right, no PDA on base." but then he quickly dropped a light kiss on her lips before she could protest.

Sam stepped back and turned to find Janet standing there pretending she didn't see that. Not giving Sam a chance to be embarrassed, she said, "Morgan is fine. She's a little scared, but not like I would have expected. She's more worried about the two of you. She says that Miller was not the only bad man, and you need to find the others."

Jack and Sam exchanged worried looks, and then moved to Morgan's bedside. When the girl saw her, she grabbed Sam's hand. "Mommy, the bad man took me, but I bit him just like you told me to. If that hadn't worked, I was going to poke him in the eye next."

"Morgan, Janet says that you told her that there are more bad men. How do you know that?" Sam asked, holding her daughter tightly.

Getting to her feet, Morgan held out her arms to Sam so her Mom could lift her up. With a sigh, she buried her face into Sam's neck, "I heard you and Daddy talking about it. You said they want to dest-" she frowned as she tried to find the right word, "Destroy the SGC and earth. It's their mission. Can we go home now, I want some 'roni."

After such a serious moment, the little girl's words broke the tension, and everyone laughed.

Sam hugged the girl tightly, "Macaroni it is. Let's go home. Daddy will meet us there later. Okay?"

Morgan smiled Sam's smile, "Okay. Can I give Daddy a hug?"

Sam passed Morgan to Jack. The little girl took Jack's face in her hands, "Don't be too long or there won't be any 'roni for you." then she kissed his nose.

"I'll hurry home to you, Pumpkin. Your Mommy and I have a date later."

Morgan stood as Jack set her on her feet. Putting her arms on her waist she stamped her foot. "I'm Princess, not Pumpkin."

Kissing the girl on her forehead, Jack laughed, "Princess it is. Go with Mommy, so Daddy can get back to work."

"Okay" and the little girl skipped off, only to stop after a few steps, "Mom are you coming?" She crossed the room and tugged at Sam's hand. Together they left the infirmary, with Charlie and Jake following behind them.

* * *

Once they had gone, Jack turned to Janet, "If Morgan is right, we need to find out who they are. This could be very bad. I want physicals on every person who steps on this base from the top to the bottom. That includes those NORAD folks, too. I want those snakes found. Give whatever reason you want, but I need it started yesterday."

"Understood General." Janet said, as she saluted, but then she smiled, "Congratulations on the promotion Sir."

He returned the motion and said, "I need to speak to Hammond about this. Let me know what you find out." then he turned and left the infirmary.

* * *

There next up the wedding. Leave a review and make me smile. **;0)**


	9. Ding Dong the Bells Are Gonna Chime!

**Author's Note:** Here it is as promised the Wedding. This are one of the funnest parts of a story for me. I love to come up with different ideas for their wedding. This one was originally much simpler but thanks to Alimoo1971, my wedding planner, it is what you see here. I changed my mind. I'm posting this now. I'm having too much fun but no more till Monday, well maybe we'll see how soon you guys want the next one.

Thank you to Alimoo for pointing out the typo I miss. In an earlier draft they got married at the Courthouse not the Academy Cadet Chapel as you will read here. This version was much nicer.

Next one on Monday. Then we are half way done this one. Cross your fingers that I will have another one ready when this one is all done.

**dp ();** Thank you as always. Hope you like this one too.

* * *

The meeting with the General was short and to the point, Jack quickly filled the senior General in on what he had ordered and why. George promised to follow up on the exams with Janet while Jack was on leave. They went over a few more protocols then George held out his hand. "You head off to the chapel, this will be your chair soon enough. I'll be right behind you."

Jack shook his hand, "I'll see you in a while then. It was good serving with you Sir. I've served with a lot of men, and you were the best." Jack stood at attention and saluted his former commander.

* * *

After leaving the mountain, Jack met Sam and the children at the Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel. On their shopping trip the day before, Jack and Sam had separately bought rings for the ceremony tonight. Sam was already in her own service dress and Jack couldn't help but be reminded of the day they met. He leered at her long legs and smiled.

When Sam handed Jack his uniform, she kissed him softly on the lips. "Go change, you're late."

His grin got bigger as he said said, "You need to do the same, off to the bride's room." he nodded to where Janet was motioning her to come. He had arranged a surprise for Sam with Jake and Janet's help.

Jacob stood to the side, trying not to watch them, studying the wall, the windows, anything but the two of them. Jack and watched her as she headed to where all the girls were gathered. The he pulled Jake aside to see if he had been able to manage his part of the plan. Then he stopped and collected his thoughts there was something he had to tell the older man before he could marry his daughter.

"I'm sure that you hate this. I know I'm not worthy of Sam, but for some reason, she loves me and those children need us. I'm not going to ask your permission because Sam and I are getting married with or without it, but I do ask your blessing. I love Sam and she is everything to me. I can't promise that it will be easy. The two of us have been through a lot and so have those kids. I will treat her right, that I can promise you."

Jake studied Jack and then looked over at Sam, "You're wrong Jack, you're everything I wanted for Sam. You let her be who she is, and you love her all the more for it." he pulled a surprised Jack into a hug. "You have my blessing and my love. Make her happy Jack, that is all I ask."

A stunned Jack turned and walked over to where the chaplain stood and made sure that everything was set. With nothing left to do Jack headed into the room set aside for him to change. Charlie was already inside changing into his navy suit. The teenager looked so grown up but he was struggling with his tie.

Jack let Charlie try a few times on his own while he dressed in his service dress. When he got to his own tie he said, "Charlie watch me." Charlie came and stood beside him and mimicked Jack's movements.

With a smile Jack was able to correct Charlie's mistake and tie the tie. He straightened the tie and said, "Are you ready for this?"

Charlie nodded, "What about you. The last time we did this you threw up."

Jack looked over at his son, "You're lying."

The teenagers face broke into a smile, "Yep I am, but you did lose the ring. Do you know where it is?"

Jack pulled out his dogtags to show Charlie the white gold wedding band on the chain. He slipped the ring off and handed it to Charlie, "Will you be my best man?"

Taking the ring the boy nodded, "I would be honored, Dad."

Jake knocked on the door, "It's time Jack."

* * *

Sam let Janet lead her into the bride's room, "Janet stop it, I'm already dressed I don't need to be in here." Sam protested as Janet tugged her into the room.

Janet rolled her eyes, "You can't get married in your service dress no matter how quick the wedding was arranged. You are marrying the man of your dreams and you are going to do this right." Janet sounded annoyed but she had a huge smile on her face that ruined her gruff words.

Cassie was helping Morgan into a cute little flower girls dress. It was white with little capped sleeves with navy blue banding around the skirt and waist. As Cassie stood up to zip up Morgan's dress Sam got a look at what Cassie was wearing. The dress had a square neck line and fell to just below her knees in a bell shaped skirt. It too had little cap sleeves but it was navy blue to match the banding on Morgan's dress.

Looking down at her service dress Sam thought that she was going to be under dressed. She turned to see Janet putting on a dress similar to Cassie's. Janet caught Sam looking at her uniform and smiled, "If you don't want to wear that I have something you can wear. You just have to wait for it to get here." Just then there was a knock on the door and Cassie went to answer it.

Sam tried to see who was at the door, but Cassie blocked her view. Whoever it was handed Cassie a garment bag and the door closed. "Mom, can you help me with this?"

Janet who had finished getting her dress on came over and help Cassie carry the large bag. They hung it on one of the hooks on the wall provided and opened it up to show Sam the dress. It was a cream satin gown that buttoned up the front from the waist. It fell all the way to the floor in a wide bell skirt with full sleeves.

Sam just stared at it until Janet nudged her, "My mother's dress. Where did it come from? I thought it was gone." she looked at Janet and then Cassie.

"General Hammond kept the things that really mattered to your father at his house. Jake had him bring it with him so you could wear it today. The General managed to have it cleaned and it is ready for you to wear. Unfortunately there is no veil it wasn't with the dress." Sam was still just staring at the dress. "We don't have a lot of time get out of those clothes and into this." Janet ordered and Sam began to undress.

They had just got Sam into her dress and fixed her hair putting small white flowers in it. There was a knock at the door and George said, "It's time ladies."

Janet fussed with the dress one more time and then stepped back, "You look beautiful Sam, now all you need it this." From a box on the vanity she took out a bridal bouquet, "This was mine when I got married. I would love for you to use it. We didn't have time to get you flowers but you need to have a bouquet or else everyone will see you fidget with your hands."

Sam took the bouquet and hugged Janet, "Thank you." grabbing a Kleenex she dabbed at her eyes so she didn't ruin her makeup. With one last look in the mirror Sam opened the door and let everyone proceed her out the door.

* * *

The ceremony was short and to point. When the time came to exchange rings, Jack took the ring from Charlie and slipped the ring on her finger, "Sam, I'm not good at telling people how I feel about them. When I lost my son, I shut myself away. I was afraid of being hurt like that again. Then you stormed into my life and challenged me to an arm wrestle. You made me feel again, made me love again."

Sam was all choked up as she slid took his hand and slid the ring onto his finger, "I never thought we'd ever make it here. There was so much standing in our way. I almost lost you so many times and you me, but somehow in the end we always came through. Somewhere amongst all of that, I found myself loving you. It was my choice for us to lock it away in that room, but I was wrong, so very wrong. I love you Jack, thank you for loving me enough even though I was so stupid." and she slid the ring on to his finger.

The chaplain smiled, "You may kiss the bride."

Jack cupped her face between his hands, "I can do that." and bent his face to meet her upturned one. Their lips just touched when Morgan tugged on Jack's uniform jacket. "Does this mean that Mommy's an O'Neill again?"

Sam and Jack smiled at each other, "Yes, it does. She's ours again, and we're not going to let her get away. Isn't that right Princess?" Not letting go of Sam, he lifted Morgan into his arms and hugged her and Sam tightly.

The little girl saluted him, "Sounds good General."

Everyone had smiles on their faces as the new family left the walked back down the isle together to begin their new lives together.

* * *

George, Cassie and Janet waited for them outside the chapel. Morgan fought Jack's hold and asked to be let down. She ran over to George and hugged him, "My Mommy is an O'Neill again."

The older man smiled and looked over at the other two officers. "You be a good girl and you can come over and play with my granddaughters soon. They would love to see you."

Morgan hugged him again, "I would love to, I missed them when they went with you to the Beta Site with Janet and Cassie."

Not sure how to respond, he turned to Charlie and shook his hand, "You are a fine young man. You've done all your parents proud. I understand that you wanted these. They're for you and Morgan." He handed Charlie a thick envelope.

The boy looked at Jack and Sam who stood close together and then back at the General before he ripped open the envelope. Inside were all the documents that Morgan and Charlie would need to settle into their new life. They wouldn't be able to go by O'Neill, at least not officially yet. On the paper their last name was Sullivan. They were Jack's friend's children, who had just lost their parents and come to live with Jack.

With these, he would be able to attend school and have a normal life. Not really thinking, Charlie threw his arms around George. "Thank you Grandpa George. This is better than I thought." Charlie realized that this man didn't know him and he pulled back.

Smiling, George took the boy's hand and shook it, "It is fine Charlie. I'll see you soon."

Letting go, he turned to Sam and kissed her cheek, "Bye for now. Be happy Sam, you and Jack deserve it."

Unable to stop the tears, she hugged the almost retired General, "Thanks for everything Uncle George."

The smile that crossed the older man's face was not one they had seen before. Pulling back he said, "So long Scout. You grew up to be a wonderful woman."

Next he offered his hand to Jack, "When I first met you, I was ready to dislike you as an officer and as a person. I knew you had lied in your report and to me, there was no excuse for that. In the end, I understood your reasons. You showed me that there was a point and time in an officer's life that he had to learn to bend the rules and orders or lives would be lost. You taught me a few things over the years. You're a good officer and those same qualities will make you a good General. Godspeed." he saluted Jack and nodded to Jake before turning and walking away.

* * *

Charlie watched Janet and Cassie walk to their car. It had never occurred to him that Cassie would be here too. In his universe the two of them had been good friends. He had never known what happened to the Cassie from his world.

Ever since she had been rescued from her planet and almost blown up by Nirrti, the two of them had been good friends. In the last few months, that friendship had grown into something more. They were just starting to find out what it might be, when their lives had gone to hell, destroying his life and dreams.

She and Janet had been on their way to the gate. He could only hope that they made it to the Alpha Site and were safe, but there was a chance that she might be dead, just like his parents. It hurt so much just to look at her.

He hadn't said anything to her and she hadn't talked to him but she had seen the way she watched him. Charlie knew that he would have to talk to her again sometime and he only had to figure out what to say.

* * *

There you have it chapter nine. Leave a review and make me smile. The next chapter is one of my favorites. **;0**) It was so much fun to write.


	10. A Homeymoon?

Author's Note: I love to post and to get your reviews so I'm just going to post when ever I feel like it now. I have the whole story so I can do that. You will get no more than one a day. This story has ten chapters left after this one so sit back and enjoy.

* * *

After returning to the house, everyone changed into more comfortable clothes, and Jake, Sam , Jack and the kids all went out to dinner to celebrate Sam and Jack's marriage.

It had been a long time since Jack had taken children to a restaurant and he'd forgotten how frustrating it could be.

Charlie was fine, in a detached teenager sort of way, but Morgan didn't want to sit still. Five minutes after they had sat down, she crumpled up the place mat that was supposed to entertain children and threw it on the floor with the crayons, "This is boring. I'm hungry." Then she folded her arms and pouted.

Sam and Jack exchanged looks, not sure what to do. It was Charlie who saved the day, "I spy with my little eye. I see something that is blue."

That game entertained Morgan for a while longer, but soon she climbed out from under the table and headed off running. When Jack caught her, she shouted that she wanted to look at the pretty pictures. Jack set her on her feet and held her hand while she studied one picture after another.

Finally the food arrived and they were able to eat. When the plates had been cleared, the staff brought out a beautiful cake. Written on the top were the words, 'Congratulations Sam and Jack.'

Sam's eyes flew to her father, "You did this, didn't you?"

Jake smiled, "Guilty, but it was Charlie's idea. I didn't think that Jack could have a real wedding without cake. Now let's get some pictures of the two of you cutting the cake.

They felt a little foolish as they posed for the pictures, but to Sam it made the wedding much more real. Then, when Jack picked up a piece of cake and held it up to take a bite, she braced herself to have cake mashed all over her face like she's seen happen so often, but what happened surprised her even more.

He waited for her to take a bite and then dropped the piece of cake back on to the table and kissed her, stealing a taste of the cake from her instead of waiting for her to feed him.

Standing there in O'Malley's, where a little over two years ago they had almost destroyed the place when they were wearing the Alterian armbands, Jack and Sam were making a another spectacle of themselves, this time in a totally different way.

It was only when Jake cleared his throat, that Jack pulled back slightly, but only enough to whisper in Sam's ear, "That was the best cake I have ever had. Shall we head home now."

Sam shivered at his words and nodded. Grabbing his hand, she turned to her Dad and the kids. "It's getting late, shall we go home now?"

Jake smiled at the two of them and Jack knew that they were being too obvious. He wasn't sure that having two children, and his father in-law, all under the same roof with his wife on their wedding night was what he wanted, but there seemed to be no other choice. Besides, they hadn't really talked about that part of their new lives yet.

Charlie, on the other hand, reached into his pocket and passed Jack a hotel key to the Broadmoor Hotel, "I know it is not much, but I wanted to give you guys something to say thank you and that we love you." he nodded to Jake and took Morgan's hand, "We're going to head home now. Grandpa will stay with us tonight. We'll see you tomorrow sometime. You guys take the truck. We'll go home in a taxi." as the left the restaurant.

Jack and Sam exchanged looks and then Sam grabbed Charlie, "That was sweet, thank you." she looked at Jack who nodded, "and we love you, too. Thank you and we'll see you tomorrow."

Once they had disappeared outside Jack stared at Sam, it had all seemed so clear when Jake and the children were still here, but now that he and Sam were alone, doubts crept in.

He could feel the card in one hand and Sam's hand in the other. He wasn't sure what to do, he and Sam hadn't had any time to talk about this part of their relationship before they got married. They had really only decided to do this less than forty-eight hours ago.

They had made progress in repairing their relationship, but were either of them ready for this?

Sam watched Jack, having his emotions flit across his face was such a new thing. Even though he still managed to shut them down quickly, she knew exactly what he was thinking about. Even if nothing happened between them tonight, they had to leave together or it would hurt Charlie's feelings.

He seemed to be following her lead on those things, so she squeezed his hand and said, "Let's go Jack." and tugged on their joined hands as she headed toward the truck.

Stumbling a step as she pulled him off balance, Jack fell in step beside her. Unsure what to say, he said nothing as he followed her out of the restaurant. "Keys Jack." Sam held out her hand and Jack slapped the keys into her open palm.

She unlocked the door and climbed behind the wheel. Before closing the door, she called, "Get in Jack. It's time to go."

While he crossed to the other side of the truck, she thought, this was the next step, she was ready for this and she just hoped that Jack was too. Glancing at him, she put the truck into gear and headed out into traffic.

The hotel wasn't that far away, but to Jack, the ride was too short. Sam pulled into a parking spot and turned off the truck. They sat there for a long time, neither of them moved.

Finally, she turned to him. "Jack, I uh-" she stopped, suddenly unsure of herself. Of all the ways she considered spending her wedding night with Jack, sitting in a truck outside the hotel wasn't one of them. Someone had to make the first move.

Their eyes met and Jack said, "I meant what I said, you stormed into my life and made me whole again. I love you, but if you don't want to do this, I don't expect it."

Sam reached over and grabbed the front of Jack's shirt, "Shut up and kiss me."

Not wanting to argue with his new wife, Jack leaned over and cupped her face with both hands and brought her lips to meet his. During the kiss, Sam all but climbed into his lap. It was only when someone tapped on the window that they broke apart.

Embarrassed, Sam buried her face in Jack's chest, while he rolled down the window. "Hello?" he said jovially to the policeman standing beside the truck.

"You want to take this inside?" the officer asked politely and pointed at the hotel.

"Yes, sir officer. We got married tonight and we got a little carried away. We'll be heading inside now." then he rolled the window back up and kissed Sam again.

Once he was finished, he opened the truck door, "Shall we go inside, Sam?" he offered her his hand.

Sam didn't move as she studied her hands. She had never done anything like this before, a minute ago she had been sure that this was what she wanted, but now, her fears had taken control.

"Sam?" Jack lifted her chin to study her eyes, "Do you want to step back? I don't want to, but I will for you. Sam, we have fought for this for so long, I'm tired of it. I want you, you want me, is there really anything else to think about?"

Blue eyes searched brown, just what she was looking for Sam didn't know, but she found something. After a minute, Sam decided that he was right; they had tried to pretend that they didn't feel this way for so long that now that they could admit their feelings, it was hard to, but it would only get easier with practice.

She loved this man and she wanted him. Placing her hand in his she tugged gently pulling him with her as she climbed out of the tuck.

The stood together outside the tuck for another moment just looking at each other sharing the emotions that they used to keep hidden. Then Jack brushed soft kiss on her lips and walked toward the hotel's entrance. Without anymore resistance Sam allowed him to lead her inside.

* * *

The two them arrived home early the next afternoon. Jake watched the two of them closely with a smile on his face. Both of them were so much more relaxed and happy around each other, it was written all over their faces and in their body language.

He waited a few minutes before he approached Sam with his bad news, "I have to head back to the mountain. Some emergency council meeting and Selmak and I have to attend." he sighed, "I really wanted to stay for a while, but duty calls."

Picking up the keys he had just dropped, Jack said, "I'll take you. Sam, why don't you take Charlie and Morgan and get them registered in school. Then for dinner tonight, we'll do take-out or something. After I drop Jake off, I can stop by your house and move some of your things over here."

Sam looked over at Charlie who nodded, "Sounds good." She stepped closer to Jack and gave him a quick kiss, "We'll see you tonight." Next, she hugged her dad, "Be careful. I want to see you again soon. I hope that you can stay longer next time. I'll miss you."

"Me, too, Sammie. I'll see you soon." Jake said as he hugged her back. Stepping back, he asked, "Have you called Mark yet? He deserves to know about this." he motioned to Jack and the kids.

Sam sighed, "No, I have no idea how to explain all this to him. He's not going to understand and I can't tell him the truth."

Jake held her with his gaze, "Just tell him the cover story and then leave it at that. It's all he needs to know. If he doesn't react well, just give him some time to adjust, he'll come around." He gave her one last hug and then followed Jack out to the truck.

Still unsure about telling her brother, Sam waved goodbye, "I hope so."

* * *

Enrolling Morgan in Kindergarten was easy and painless, Charlie, on the other hand, was much more difficult. There were classes to choose and people and teachers he wanted to avoid. Things might not be exactly the same here, but Charlie was certain some things were just universal.

Finally he was done and asked to stay for the last period of the day. Sam agreed and left Charlie at the school to be escorted to his class by the secretary.

It was a strange sensation for him to be led down the halls when he knew exactly where to go. In fact, he knew that there was a shorter way to his fifth period English class, if he cut through the library and headed across the quad.

What he hadn't really expected was to find Cassandra Frasier in that class. He knew that he would run into her again eventually, but she wouldn't know him, although he knew her.

He turned to leave the room, but she called, "Hey, you were at the wedding last night with the little girl. I never heard your name." she held out her hand, smiling at him. Her smile was the same and Charlie took a deep breath as he wondered how much she knew.

Taking her hand, he said, "Charlie O'Neill with two ls, those guys who only have one have no sense of humor." he said, smiling back at her.

She let go of his hand and watched him sit down. Cassie studied him, he reminded her of someone. It wasn't more than a heartbeat later that she remembered Jack saying those same words to her once, "O'Neill as in Jack O'Neill?" she was confused, Jack had a son named Charlie, but he had died before she had come to Earth. Where had this other boy come from, looking so much like Jack?

Charlie let go of her hand, sitting down in the seat beside her. He felt very stupid, of course, she would know this world's Jack very well and she must have heard about his Charlie and how he had died. "Uh, sort of. My sister and I, were just adopted by him. He's an old family friend." he stumbled over the story a bit, and from the look on Cassie's face, she didn't believe a word of it.

He opened his mouth to say more when an annoyed voice said, "Hey that's my seat and my girl." and Charlie found himself being shoved out of the desk and falling onto the floor.

Cassie gasped, "Jimmy, what are you doing? He's new, and I'm not your girl. Most of all we broke up and it's over."

Jimmy stood over Charlie, this was all the new kid's fault. His life was falling apart. He needed to get Cassie back, but he couldn't do that if this Charlie was making moves on his girl. If he let this happen, the new kid would have his spot on the team, and Cassie as well. Something about this kid rubbed him the wrong ways, and he was going to find out why.

Charlie got to his feet, "I'll just find myself another seat. Cas, I'll see you later." he gave her a wave and a smile. He chose an empty one across the room and headed toward it.

Jimmy couldn't believe that Charlie had called her Cas, and that she had no problem with it. She always told him off when he used that pet name.

Charged after Charlie, Jimmy knocked into him from behind. The two of them crashed to the floor in a heap.

At first, Charlie only blocked the other boy's punches, not wanting to hurt him or get into trouble on his first day. Then, one got through and bloodied his nose, and Charlie had enough. Using some of the tricks O'Neill had taught him, he got the upper hand, only to be grabbed by a teacher and hauled off to the office.

As he left the room, he turned and looked at Jimmy. The other boy looked much worse than he did. Then his eyes met Cassie's, and he felt like a jerk. His Cas had hated it when he fought about something stupid, and he was sure that this Cassie would feel the same.

With a sigh, he followed the teacher out the door, knowing he was in big trouble, not only with the school, but his new parents as well.

* * *

This is where Charlie kinda hijacks the story and takes over. Hope you enjoy it still. ~Kelleth~


	11. Trouble?

**Author's Note:** Hello again. Thank you for all your wonderful words of praise. I'm glad you like it and you will all keep reading. I found Charlie a fascinating character to write as well as Cassie. I had never really included her before other than in passing and it was fun to do so now.

I would like to thank all of you who have made me want to continue to post. I love writing and sharing it with you. I must admit I'm feeling a little burnt out and am having trouble finishing the projects that I have in the works. I have one more story done and I will post that one as soon as I'm done with this one.

This should take me to some time in July to post. Then I'm going away for a few weeks. Where I am going I will have no computer access because I will be camping with my family on a lake in British Columbia. I will be back in the middle of July and I hope to have something complete by then. Cross your fingers and maybe I will have got back into the swing of things.

* * *

Sam had just finished getting groceries when the call to return to the school came. Her cart was piled high with food, and there was no way she could leave it behind. Jack's cupboards were empty. With a sigh, she told the woman on the phone that she would be there as soon as she could. After shoving the groceries into the trunk of her Volvo, she headed back to the school, wondering what trouble Charlie could have found in less than half an hour.

Her hands clenched on the steering wheel as she tried to calm herself down. There had to be some explanation for what happened.

Morgan's voice reminded her that there was another child in the car, "Is Charlie in trouble? He got into a fight again, didn't he? It happened sometimes when we lived in that other place. It wasn't usually his fault though."

Trying hard not to smile, Sam said, "That is still no reason to fight. You should walk away, if you can."

Morgan shrugged, "Charlie usually did try to walk away before, but trouble always seemed to follow him. At least that's what Daddy said, my other daddy."

Stopping the car, Sam turned and looked at the little girl in the backseat, "You know we're not your parents?"

The little girl nodded, "You smell different than mommy did in the other place. I saw her get hurt in the leg by the bad man, and you're not hurt at all, so you can't be her. I knew all along, I just thought that it would be better for Charlie if he thought I didn't know. He worries about me, but I'm okay. I miss my other mommy, but I know that you and daddy will look after me."

Sam turned back around not sure what to say to Morgan's revelation, so she said nothing and continued driving to the school.

* * *

A few minutes later, Sam pulled into the parking lot against the flow of traffic, which was flooding out of the lot and away from the school. She quickly unbuckled Morgan from her car seat, holding the little girl's hand, she headed across the field to the front doors.

Cassie waited for them on the front steps, "Sam, I'm glad you're here and not Jack." she called, descending the steps as they crossed the lawn.

Sam stopped as Cassie rushed over to them, "What are you doing here? Why would you know that I was coming?"

"I saw the fight Charlie got into. It wasn't his fault, Jimmy was being a jerk." Cassie said, but Morgan broke free of Sam's hand finally and ran to Cassie and leaped into the teenager's arms. All Cassie could do was catch her.

"I missed you so much Cassie. We never knew what happened to you. Charlie was worried about you all the time, but now you're here and you're safe. Charlie will be so happy." Then she laid her head down on Cassie's shoulder, sighing contently at the familiar face.

Cassie looked at Sam and raised her eye brows with a question that she wasn't sure she could voice here in public.

Sam sighed, they had to teach Morgan not to do this, or it would get them into trouble. "I can't talk about it here or now. Charlie is waiting in the office for us to see the principle. Would you mind keeping an eye on Morgan so I can get this over with. She seems to like you."

Morgan's head was still on Cassie's shoulder, and now her thumb was in her mouth. Cassie looked at her and said, "On the far side of the school, there is a playground. I'll take her over there and let her play until you're done." She set the little girl on her feet and headed in the direction she indicated, but stopped after a few steps, "But you owe me an explanation. I'll come over tonight. Mom's stuck at the base running physicals, for some reason, since yesterday."

"That will be fine." Sam said with a shrug unsure if she should stop Cassie from coming over. Morgan obviously knew the other Cassie. It would be cruel to keep them apart if Cassie was willing to be with her.

"Why did you tell me that you and Jack were getting married? Mom came home the other day and dragged me out to a bridal shop to find my dress. She was all mysterious about what it was for. Then yesterday we arrived at the Cadet Chapel. It was only then that she told me what was going on but not why." Her head swam, what on earth could have made these two finally take the step that everyone had been waiting for years to happen. Then she looked at Morgan, and everything clicked into place, "She's your daughter, I mean, another Sam's isn't she, and Charlie is another Jack's Charlie."

"Sh, not now." Sam looked around, but no one seemed to be paying any attention to them or their conversation. "Yes, she is, but we can't talk here. Take Morgan to the playground and then you can come home with us. We'll talk there, okay?"

Cassie looked from Sam to Morgan and nodded. Forcing a smile, she gave into Morgan's tugging. "Let's go find the swings." and they raced across the field.

Sam watched the two of them go. It had never occurred to her that Charlie and Morgan would know Cassie, but considering the amount of time she spent with both Sam and Jack in this world, it made sense that she would have spent as much time with them in that alternate world. It seemed that some things were the same no matter what world they were in. Pulling her head out of quantum mechanics, she headed into the school to find out how much trouble Charlie was in.

* * *

Charlie sat outside the Principal's office with his forearms resting on his knees looking down at the floor, and Sam was surprised how much he reminded her of Jack in the way he held himself.

Taking a deep breath, she told herself it was time to get this over with, "Charlie?"

The boy looked up, one eye was blackening and he had a wad of toilet paper stuffed into one of his nostrils to stop the bleeding. A smile crossed his face that just screamed Jack, "Would you believe me if I told you it wasn't my fault and I tried to walk away?"

"Yes, I would." she turned to the secretary, "We're ready. Could you tell the principal that we are ready to see him?" Then she turned back to Charlie, "You should be happy it was me they got a hold of and not your dad." Sam looked around and asked, "Where's the other boy?"

"Gone, his nanny came and picked him up about fifteen minutes ago. His parents are on Fiji or something." Charlie shrugged.

"Tell me what happened." Sam asked as she sat down beside him.

"Well, I walked into English class and I sat down in an empty chair. The girl next to me introduced herself as Cassandra Frasier." the tone of his voice said more than his words. He'd known exactly who she was when he sat down, "We talked for a while when Jimmy Wilson showed up. He was being a jerk and so I moved seats and he attacked me from behind. At first I just blocked his punches, but when one got through and bloodied my nose, I lost my temper. I shouldn't have done it, but I did."

"It's all right Charlie, we'll sort this out." Sam said, wrapping her arm around him.

The secretary spoke to them, "The principal will see you now."

They both got to their feet and entered the office, and an older man held out his hand, "I'm Mr. Phillips, Mrs. O'Neill, Charlie have a seat." he pointed at the two chairs on the far side of his desk.

The two of them sat and waited for him to speak. He opened a folder and studied it, "Now, I have had multiple people coming down to the office and telling me that the fight was not Charlie's fault. Given that we haven't had any prior problems with him, we will not suspend him at this time as we did the other boy. Jimmy's attack was unprovoked and malicious, but if we have any other problems during the rest of the school year, I will not be as forgiving."

Sam looked at Charlie, "Yes, sir. There should not be any problems." Charlie returned her look and nodded. Seeing his agreement, she got to her feet, "If that's all, we will be going." she held out her hand, "Thank you." and the two of them left the office and didn't look back.

* * *

They met Cassie and Morgan out on the field. When Charlie saw the older girl with his sister, his steps slowed, unsure how to act around Cassie. Sam, on the other hand, held her phone out to the teenager. "Call your mom. I know she's not coming home, but she should know that you're at our house."

Taking the phone, Cassie said, "Sounds good. Are you going to feed me, too?" she asked, dialing the phone.

"Yep, I don't have a clue what we are having, but I do have a car full of groceries, so we should find something to make-" Sam had to break off and chase after Morgan who had made a break for the swings again.

Cassie's conversation with Janet was short and when she hung up she found Charlie studying her, "Cas?" his voice wavered.

She was about to answer when Sam came back carrying Morgan under her arm, "Come on you two, let's head home before she escapes again."

The two teenagers smiled awkwardly at each other and then followed Sam to the car.

* * *

They arrived home to find Jack moving Sam's things into his house. He took one look at Charlie and set down the box he was carrying. His voice was hard when he asked, "What happened to you?" he pinned his son with a glare.

Charlie shrugged, "I got into a fight with Jimmy Wilson. I tried to walk away, but he wouldn't let me."

Jack was about to say something else when Cassie came around the car with Morgan attached to her, "It wasn't his fault. I was there, Jack. Jimmy was trying to cause problems like always."

Turning his attention to Cassie, he said, "I told you that boy was nothing but trouble when you started to go out with him. I'm glad you listened to me for once in your life."

Morgan fought to be let down sensing the tension between all the people standing in the driveway. Cassie set her onto her feet and Morgan was immediately moving, "Daddy, since we found Cassie, does that mean that I can find uncle Daniel here, too?" she asked as she threw herself at him and wrapped herself around his legs.

He looked over at Sam, unsure what to say to the little girl, technically Daniel wasn't dead, but that didn't mean he was available for a visit when they wanted. "I don't know Princess. We'll have to wait and see. Uncle Daniel has a habit of turning up when we least expect him."

"Okay," she sighed, "Can I have some nuggets for dinner?"

Smiling, Jack said, "Sure, but only if you have some carrots, too." as he carried her into the house followed by the other three with the groceries.

* * *

Jimmy Wilson sat in his room, he was in so much trouble and it was all Charlie's fault. He was suspended for a week, and now he'd miss the first week of baseball try-outs. Charlie O'Neill and, what was that name that Cassie said? Jack O'Neill. That name sparked a memory.

His father was a reporter for the local paper and a few years ago his dad wrote an article about a Jack O'Neill. The man was in the Air Force or something. A few weeks ago, he'd needed an article for a English project and he had been looking through his father's older ones to see if there was anything he could copy.

There had been one about Jack O'Neill and he just had to find it. It took a few hours, but he was rewarded when he found the article.

_Boy Dies of Self Inflicted Gunshot._

_Charlie O'Neill died yesterday of wounds inflicted while he was playing with his father's, Colonel Jack O'Neill's, service weapon. The boy found the gun and shot himself once in the chest...._

Jimmy stared at the article, there was more, but it didn't matter. All he needed was the photo that stared back at him. The dead boy looked very much like his nemesis, Charlie O'Neill. It seemed a little funny that, some how, this Jack O'Neill would get a new son with the same name and same look. What was going on here? There had to be something strange going on, and he would prove it.

Maybe if he told his dad about this, he wouldn't be in so much trouble. His father loved a good story, no matter where it came from. Photocopying the article, he decided that he would get Charlie's picture tomorrow. He would have as much evidence as he could that Charlie O'Neill was a clone, or something equally as strange, when his parents came home.

* * *

Dada dum. What do you think? Let me know. Your reviews make me smile. They really do, I'm not kidding. ~Kelleth~


	12. Ups and Downs

Author's Note: here we are again. Another day and another chapter. I'm liking all the reviews and my smile has never been bigger. Thanks guys. Here is the next one, enjoy.

* * *

After that first afternoon, Cassie came home with Charlie, on the bus, to spend time with Morgan or Sam. It was easier for her to have someone to come home to, now that Sam was at home each afternoon for Morgan Cassie enjoyed being with them. Charlie seemed to be wary of Cassie, and at first, he stayed away from her.

Cassie made a few attempts to spend time with Charlie, but he would just get up and walk out of the room when it was only the two of them. If Morgan or Sam were in the room, he would stay, but once he and Cassie were alone, Charlie fled, usually to his room where he'd lock the door and hide.

Today he had chosen to hide up on the telescope loft. He was leaning against the railing staring off into nothing. He'd hoped that no one would find him up here. It was so hard for him to be around Cassie, she looked just like his Cas, but she wasn't the same person. She didn't know all his secrets and his fears, but he was terrified that she might have wanted to.

He heard someone coming up the ladder, thinking it was Sam, he said, "I'm up here."

The voice that spoke startled him, "I know I'm not her, but that is no reason to be rude. I'm not trying to be the other me, I just want to be your friend, that's it." Cassie said from where she stood at the top of the ladder, and he could hear the hurt in her voice.

He didn't look at her, he'd known that this would happen. Cassie, no matter which universe she lived in, wasn't the type to let him run. He was being a big jerk and he knew that she would tell him, he just thought that he had a little more time.

When he didn't say anything, she kept talking, "You need someone. Everybody needs someone to talk to." she crossed the deck to where he stood. Reaching out, she was going to touch him but stopped, "I'm here if you want someone to listen. I understand a lot of what you're going through. I can listen to the things you can't tell anyone else. I understand, let me help you." she waited and he still didn't say anything or look at her, "Charlie, I mean it, if you ever want to talk, I'm here for you."

She waited a little longer before she turned to head back down the ladder, leaving Charlie alone with his thoughts.

Once she was gone, he pulled a picture out of his pocket. It was a little battered and it had seen better days. The two people inside it smiled at each other as they posed in front of a cheesy cupid background. He and Cas looked so happy. That had been the night of their first date, the school's Valentine Dance and when he'd dropped her off at home, he'd kissed her goodnight on her porch.

It was his first kiss and now the memory was bitter sweet. A week later, everything had come crashing down and his life was in ruins and he didn't know if she was alive or dead. Even now, all these months later, he still didn't have any better of an idea of who made it through the gate and who didn't.

He wasn't sure that he could tell Cassie all that, was it even fair to burden her with his thoughts of her other self? She was right about him needing to talk to someone.

He'd tried to talk to Sam and Jack, but it was hard. They seemed to handle everything so well and he didn't want them to think any less of him because of his emotions.

His Cas had always listened to him and it seemed that this Cassie wasn't any different. Getting to his feet, Charlie took one last look at the picture and then placed it back in his pocket, climbed down the ladder and went to find Cassie.

* * *

He found her in the backyard, sitting alone on the glider swing. He stood in front of her, "I'm sorry. I know you are not her and I know that you're not trying to be her, but all this is hard for me." he dropped on to the swing beside her, "This whole thing is so much harder than I thought it would be. Everything is the same yet different. This is my home but not."

Reaching out, Cassie covered his hand with hers, "I understand what you're talking about. My experience was similar. I came here to Earth from my world and these people took me in and loved me. All I wanted to do was go home. I knew that there was nothing left for me on Hanka. I had watched everyone I loved slowly die, but I wanted that life back, it was mine. This one wasn't mine, not yet. I had to wait and accept that my old life was gone and make my new one here." she squeezed his hand, "Charlie, is that what you mean. It is natural to want your old life, it was yours and you mourn for it, but you have to choose to live here or you get stuck in the past."

"I know, it's just that I don't know if that life is truly gone. Cas and other people I know, might still be alive. I feel like I should still be there, helping them instead of being here and safe." he looked away, as though he was ashamed of how he felt. Morgan needed him and their other world was not the place for her to grow up, it was better to stay here.

Cassie softly brought his face back to her so that she could look in his eyes, "You need to tell Sam and Jack how you feel. They will understand; they love you."

Charlie pulled his face away and looked down at their linked hands. This felt so right, but so wrong, to be sitting there beside her. He was about to get up when she said, "Tell me about your life before."

He looked at her for a moment and then began to talk.

* * *

Sam watched the two of them from the window and felt relieved. Charlie needed someone his age and experience to talk to and Cassie was the best choice. No other child around knew about the Stargate and all the other strange things that this boy had been through.

She'd been worried about the two of them, Cassie seemed to be willing to initiate a friendship, but Charlie seemed very reluctant and had been avoiding being alone with Cassie.

This behavior had hurt Cassie's feelings, and the other day, Sam had found her crying in the same spot she now sat with Charlie. The two of them had a long talk about what Charlie was doing and why. Then they had come around to what she should do about it. Sam had made a few suggestions, after dealing with Jack and his moods for so many years, Sam decided that Charlie probably wasn't much different.

Outside, Cassie wrapped her arms around Charlie and held onto him as his shoulders shook with sobs. Turning away from the window, Sam thought that Charlie and Cassie would be all right.

* * *

A few days later, Jack returned home from cleaning out Sam's place to find her at wit's end. Morgan had emptied all her drawers and hidden her clothes all over the house. She had managed to find some interesting hiding places to stash her new clothes.

Sam, Charlie and Cassie were trying to find them all before it was time to put the little girl to bed. Seeing the other's frustration, Jack went to find Morgan and ask her what she had done with them. He found her sitting in her room playing with her 'My Little Ponies'. Crouching down beside her, he asked, "Morgan, where did you hide your Pjs?"

The smile that crossed her features was a little devious, "They're in my drawer. I put them back. I thought that I would help Mommy." her face was so earnest that Jack almost believed her.

Opening the right drawer, Jack found everything in it proper place. Getting her to her feet, he changed her into her nightgown. They spent a little bit of time talking about wasting Mommy's time and how what she had done wasn't nice.

Then he took her hand and called "Sam, where are you?"

Her voice was muffled when she answered, "Downstairs. I still can't figure out where she hid those Pyjamas." following the sound of her voice, he found her in the utility room.

"Ah, about that-" he stopped when he saw her with her head behind the dryer, searching.

Sam pulled herself out, curious about the tone of Jack's voice. Her eyes fell on Morgan, now dressed in one of her nightgowns. She let out a frustrated breath and closed her eyes as she counted to ten. "Where were they?"

Jack was trying hard not to smile, "In her drawer where they should be. She put them back when you started searching. I'll put her to bed; you and the others relax. I'll come in a minute." he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

_

* * *

_

After Jack read Morgan a story, he asked her, "Why did you do that? It wasn't very nice."

Morgan looked at her hands and shrugged, "I didn't want to watch TV any more and I read all the books you bought me. I looked, but I couldn't find any more."

Jack was taken aback, "You mean you looked at all the pictures?" he was a little confused.

She shook her head, "No, I _read_ them all. I had harder books in my other place, but I had to leave them behind. Mommy had given me her copy of _Little Women_ because I could read big girl books; I had to leave it behind when Charlie took me away. Do you think you could find me another one?"

Jack stared at this little girl in front of him. He expected Sam's child to be bright, but he hadn't expected this. "Uh yes, I'm sure we can find you one. From now on, if you're bored, you tell us, don't play tricks on us. We're still getting used to all this, just like you."

Morgan nodded slowly, "Okay. Please find me one soon. When I lost the book, Jo was in an awful mess, and I need to know how she got out."

The smile that crossed his face was big, "I want to hear my big girl read to me. Pick a book and I'll listen." He loved this little girl and he never wanted to let her go.

When she finished, she yawned and Jack lifted the covers and motioned for her to lie down, "'Night Princess."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a sloppy kiss and said, "Okay Daddy, I'm sleepy now," before laying down.

Jack pulled the covers up around her and sat beside her until she was asleep.

* * *

He found Sam in the kitchen, attacking the dishes mercilessly. Without turning around she said, "I heated you up some food." she was unsure how to bring up Morgan and what the little girl had done.

Jack sat down at the counter and began to eat. It was only when he heard a barely contained sniffle from the sink that he realized that Sam was crying. Dropping his fork, he crossed over to where she stood, and pulled her into his arms, "Hey, what's with the tears?"

"Morgan knows I'm not her Mom and she hates me. I can't do it the same way _SHE_ did and no I'm-" Sam hid her face in Jack's neck, ashamed at her feelings of inadequacy.

Grabbing her face gently between his hands, Jack made her look at him, "Hey, it isn't that. She was just bored. All those picture books we bought, she has already read them. Not looked at, read! I listened to her read one of them to make sure." he looked over at Charlie, who sat in the living room with Cassie doing homework, "Charlie, he had a hard time reading something like those books at the end of grade two. She asked me for a copy of _Little Women_ so she could find out what happened to Jo."

The expression on Sam's face changed in an instant, "Is that all? I thought all sorts of horrible things and she was just bored? That I can handle." her face split into her mega watt smile, "_Little Women_ huh? I should have a copy of it in my books, I'll leave it by her bedside so she can find it when she wakes up in the morning. I guess we should see about putting her a grade ahead then."

Jack just nodded his head, "I guess so."

The next day with a little push, Sam and Jack were able to get Morgan pushed up to the first grade and she seemed to settle in quickly and enjoy the challenge.

* * *

So there you have it. My oldest was reading at three and a half so I'm sure that Sam child would be reading that early if not earlier.

Leave a review and make me smile. ~Kelleth~


	13. Just Visiting

**Author's Note:** I have decided since today is my birthday, I won't tell you how old I am but I am the mother of five kids, you guys get another chapter. So make my day and leave a review.

Also people have been asking about Sara. She is coming up soon, really soon. I had other things that I needed to do before I got back to her. So if you want Sarah read on. Thank you to everyone who has review and to all you just plain readers. You guys are great!!

Now on with the show.....

* * *

By the time half their leave was over, Sam's house had been emptied of everything she wanted to move into Jack's house and was up for sale. The only thing Jack had left to do was to call Sara and let her know about Charlie and his marriage. He had picked up the phone many times only to put it back down on the cradle, unsure what to say to his ex-wife about their now resurrected son.

In the end, it was Charlie who finally got him to make the call.

Jack was standing out on the deck cooking steaks for dinner on the BBQ when Charlie came up behind him, "Dad?"

Flipping the steaks, Jack covered them with sauce, "What's up Charlie?"

He looked everywhere but at his father, "A while ago you mentioned my mother - I mean Sara. I've thought a lot about it and I would like to meet her. Have you talked to her yet?"

Looking down at the steaks, Jack said, "Uh, no, I haven't. I wasn't sure how to explain it to her. It was bad enough when some blue crystal alien showed up at her house pretending to be me looking for Charlie. I have no idea what to tell her now that I have our son alive and well."

Charlie nodded, he understood, after all, he had been the one showing up on Jack's doorstep and telling him the same thing. "Maybe we should just show up on her doorstep like I did with you. There really is no way to make it easier for her. It's going to be a shock, no matter what we do."

Jack sighed, "You might be right. We'll go after diner." he grabbed Charlie's shoulder, "Are you sure about this? You don't have to see her if you don't want to."

Charlie met his gaze for the first time since he'd come outside, "I know, but I want to do this. For her, as much as me."

Jack nodded his head, he understood - sort of, "Okay, can you go inside and tell Sam that I need to talk to her for a moment?"

"Can do. I need to set the table anyway," with a wave, he disappeared inside.

* * *

When Sam emerged from the house a few minutes later, Jack was staring off into the distance, leaving his meat to burn, more than usual.

"Jack are you okay?" she asked from the doorway. He didn't answer and Sam crossed the deck to stand beside him. Reaching out, she touched his shoulder, "Jack?"

He jumped and looked over at her surprised to see her standing there. Covering her hand with his own, he said, "Charlie wants to meet Sara. I told him that I would take him over there after dinner. I should call her and let her know I'm coming. I need to tell her about us, too; she should hear it from me, not scuttle butt."

Jack pulled away from her touch and crossed to the other side of the deck, "Sam, this is so much harder than I thought it would be. How do I tell a woman that I now have a duplicate of our son living in my house? I have no idea how she will react. If she reacts badly, how will it affect Charlie?"

Sam was watching him and he seemed to be so alone and she knew, no matter how much she wanted to take on this burden, it was his alone to bear. "In a way, I wish that you could have left Sara out of this, but she is his mother and she deserves to see Charlie." as she spoke Sam crossed the deck and wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"I know. I'll grab the meat and bring it inside. Why don't you round up the troops?" his voice was sad but resigned.

She grabbed his face and kissed him on the lips, "See you inside then."

He watched her go, not really believing that she was his. Sighing heavily Jack scooped the meat off the grill, heading inside. He stopped just outside the door, something was wrong. There was a tickle at the back of his neck, someone was watching him.

Intently, he scanned the yard seeking something wrong or out of place. Shrugging off the feeling, he headed into the house and closed the door behind him.

* * *

The drive over to Sara's house was quiet. Charlie and Jack both had no idea what to say or do. Jack had called Sara before they left and told her that he had something to tell her as well as someone he wanted her to meet.

Jack pulled up to the house that they both had once called home, just in different universes, and sat there for a moment before he turned to Charlie, "I'm going to go up to the door and talk to her first. You wait here."

Charlie nodded and he watched Jack walking up to the door.

Jack looked at Charlie once more before turning to the door. The boy nodded his head and Jack pushed the button and there was no turning back.

Sara came to the door quickly after that, "Jack it was good to hear from you, come in please." she pushed the screen door to open wider and looked around, "I thought that you were bringing someone with you?"

Jack looked back at the truck where Charlie sat. "I did but I need to talk to you for a few minutes first."

Sara looked one last time at the truck and waved her hand, "Come in and we can talk."

Following Sara into the living room, Jack sat down. He studied the room, it hadn't changed at all since he was here last about four years ago just after the blue crystal Jack/Charlie thing.

They had shared an awkward dinner together where they talked about Charlie for the first time since his death. Then that was it, they both knew it was over and Jack signed the divorce papers the next day. It was the end of over twelve years of marriage. He had still loved Sara, but he just couldn't live with her any more. There were too many bad memories to outweigh the good ones.

"Jack?" Sara's voice pulled him from his memories.

"Sorry, I was just remembering. We were happy once, weren't we?" he picked up the last family photo they'd taken.

Sara took it from him, "Yes, we were, we just weren't strong enough to survive Charlie's death." she looked up at him, "Jack, why did you come here?"

He studied her for a moment before saying, "Sara, you know that strange things happen with my job. There is this mirror thingy and-" he stopped, running his hands through his hair, "Well, people come through from alternate realities and Charlie, he came through, too. Our son, who in some other place didn't die, came through and he wants to meet you."

"Charlie?" she brought her hand to her mouth, "Alive?"

"Sara, he's not our son. He's older and lived through some horrible things. In his reality, you died of cancer while I was in Iraq. He never shot himself, instead of losing him, I lost you. When I came back, he was living with someone, they thought I was dead and she had adopted him. I need you to understand that."

"Jack, are you sure this is a good idea?" Sara looked at the door unsure.

"It is up to you? If you don't want to, he'll understand, but all he asks is for you to see him." Jack turned and walked toward the door and waited with his hand on the knob, "What do you want me to do Sara?"

There was a heavy silence, "Tell him to come in."

Jack nodded, "I'll be right back." he opened the door but stopped, "Sara there is something else I should tell you. Charlie didn't come through the mirror alone. He also brought my daughter with him." he saw a light come on in her eyes and he hated to kill it but she shook his head, "She's not your child, but mine and someone else's. I know that same woman here and we have gotten married so that we can raise the two children together." he waited for her to say something- anything but she just sat there not moving.

He was about to head through the door when Sara's voice stopped him, "Jack, are you happy?"

A smile crossed his face, "Yes Sara, I am. Are you?"

The look on her face made him sad, "I don't know Jack, I really don't know."

* * *

Charlie sat in the truck, wondering if this was what he really wanted. Part of him wanted to get his dad and leave, but he had to do this. This was part of who he was, and if he wanted to make his life here, this was the first step.

Finally, Jack motioned for him to come inside, and Charlie got out of the truck. Slowly he entered the house and came face to face with his mother a woman he had not seen for many years.

She stared at him for a moment. Whatever she was looking for, she didn't find it, "You were right Jack, he's not my son." Then she turned and walked away from them without saying a word.

Charlie felt the world go cloudy as she walked from him. Jack grabbed his shoulder, "Come on, let's go Charlie. There is nothing for you here."

Turning away Charlie said, "Goodbye Sara. Try to be happy, I know he would want you to be, because I do."

Jack wrapped his arm around Charlie's shoulders and together they headed out to the truck.

* * *

From his hiding place beside Jack's deck, Jimmy Wilson sat stunned. Charlie was a clone? How had they done it. It was an amazing story of a life time. His father would be so proud of him.

He turned on his father's recorder and listened to the two conversations he had recorded once more. This was better than he thought, he had the proof, and now and it was time to take all of his evidence to his father.

* * *

I tend to take a different view of Sara. I still see the cigarette smoking woman in the movie who seemed not to care what Jack was going through. She seemed like a nice enough lady in the Blue Crystal Alien episode but that first impression of her is still etched in my mind. Sorry if it's not the same as your but it is how I see her.

Leave a review and let me know your thoughts. I would love to hear them. ~Kelleth~


	14. Smooth Sailing?

Author's Note: The last chapter was interesting to write. I almost left it out and just ignored Sara but then I realized that Charlie needed this. Thank you for all your reviews and birthday wishes. Now on with the show...

* * *

Back inside the truck Jack looked over at Charlie, "Are you okay?"

Charlie rubbed his arms, "Yes, no, I have no clue. I thought her words would hurt when she said them, but they didn't. I feel sorry for her, that house was just the same as it was when you left, wasn't it? She hasn't changed anything. She's stuck in that moment. She may not blame you, but she blames herself just like you did. That house is Charlie's shrine. She doesn't live there, she hides."

Studying the boy who he had taken his heart, Jack was so proud of him. He was so young but he'd experienced so much. He knew that Charlie would never lose his compassion like he had. With her kind words to others in pain, Sam had taught it to him. In another universe another Sam had made sure that Charlie never lost it even though he had lost everything and everyone.

He turned and looked at the house once more, "Well, hopefully she can find the courage to live again. It's hard Charlie, I know. I did it and maybe now, she can, too."

Charlie turned and looked at the house as well. It was a place that held many happy memories for both of them as well as sad ones. Jack turned away first, "Shall we head home now?" Jack asked as he turned the key in the ignition.

Turning to look at Jack, Charlie smiled as he said, "Yes, let's go home."

Without looking back, Jack drove away.

* * *

Sara O'Neill stood at the window watching them drive away. She had been cruel and she knew it, but it had hurt so much to see that boy standing there alive and breathing when her son was dead. He was her Charlie but not. The eyes were slightly different. The scar her son had got when he crashed his bike and cut his chin was missing and there was another one that shouldn't have been there on his cheek.

Now that they were gone, she found herself drawn to Charlie's room, opening the door, she entered slowly. Usually she only came in here to clean it was too painful otherwise. It was just the same as the day he died, nothing had changed, not even her.

Jack had moved on but she hadn't, not really. Before her father passed away he tried to get her to clean out the room, to give her son's clothes away, but she refused as though a part of her thought that he might come back to her someday. He had, but he wasn't her little boy any more and it was time to let Charlie go.

Crossing to the bed, she picked up a ratty stuffed dog and clutched it to her chest. She thought for a moment and then crossed to the closet and removed the boxes her father had put there. Choosing one, she began to gather the things that Jack had requested, the memories he wanted of their son, and placed them in the box which she set aside to take to him.

Then she emptied the clothes from his drawers. The time was right to let Charlie go. It was time for her to move on and continue living. As she carried the boxes to the car, she felt free just as Charlie would have wanted, the other boy was right.

* * *

Jimmy stood outside his father's study, now that he was here, he was afraid. Would his father believe him?

He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans and knocked at the door. "What is it?" came the annoyed reply.

Slowly he opened the door, "Dad, it's me, Jimmy. I have something to show you. Can I come in?" he hated the tremor in his voice.

There was a silence and a heavy sigh, "Alright, come in."

Opening the door wider, Jimmy stepped into the room. The walls were covered with awards and framed articles. To Jimmy it was awe inspiring. His father had written these stories and he was proud of him, even if his father wasn't proud of him. Each time he came into the room, he couldn't help but stop and look around him.

His father's angry voice broke through his revelry, "James Wilson! I'm a little busy right now, can we get this over with?" His voice was harsh and Jimmy couldn't help but flinch at the tone.

"There's this new boy at school. I think he's a clone." His spoke so fast that even Jimmy could hardly understand himself.

Greg Wilson rolled his eyes, "That is the dumbest thing that has ever come out of your mouth and I have heard some pretty dumb things." he pointed at the still open door, "Get out!"

"No Dad listen, I have proof." he took the digital recorder from his pocket only to have his father grab it from his hand.

"Where did you get this from?" he studied the device, "You took it out of my drawer, didn't you?" he raised his hand to strike the boy.

Jimmy flinched back, "I'm sorry, but all you need to do is listen to the recording and you will see that I'm right. His father and mother talked about it on the porch and so did he. They called Charlie a duplicate and he looks just like this other Charlie who died. You wrote the article a few years ago. Please just listen to the tape."

Greg dropped his hand and pushed play. Jack's and Charlie's voices were heard and Sam's and Jack's after that. He listened to it again and then tossed the recorder on the table, "This is useless. There is nothing there. You are so naive. This is only rumor and conjecture, they admit nothing." he backhanded the boy and sent him sprawling to the floor. "Get out! I don't want to see you for a long time. Don't come in here again without my permission."

Jimmy got to his feet and backed out of the room. If all he had was rumors and conjectures than he would use them as such. If he couldn't destroy Charlie through proper channels, then he would do it through the back door.

* * *

Charlie crouched in the ready position at short stop. This was something new, he'd never played this position before, but he liked it. Usually he played first or third base. The ball was hit low and he rushed forward and caught it before it touched the ground and then he threw it to second to complete the double play.

"Good play Charlie. Everyone take five." The coach motioned for everyone to get some water from the bench at the side of the field. The boys gathered in small pockets as they walked. Charlie could hear them talking about him. He wasn't sure what they were saying, but Jimmy was at the center of it.

The only boys who seemed not to want to listen were Calvin and Mike. The two of them just shook their heads and told Jimmy he was being stupid. It was then that Charlie saw the paper in Jimmy's hand. Calvin grabbed at it and said, "You are sick. Give me that." Calvin missed the paper but Mike managed to get it while Jimmy's attention was on Calvin. He passed the paper to Calvin who looked at it momentarily and then crumpled it. "I hear anything else about this and I'm going to the principal."

Moving away from Jimmy, the two boys flanked Charlie and they headed to the bench where the water jugs were. Trying to sound uninterested, he asked, "What was all that about?"

"Nothing, just Jimmy being a jerk, like always. It's not true so don't worry about it." Calvin said pouring himself some water.

"I know, but if there is stuff going around about me, I'd like to know about it." he tried again. He had to make sure it wasn't about Cassie. He could put up with things about himself, but if Jimmy started on Cassie, Charlie decided that he would break him.

Calvin pulled the crumpled paper from his pocket and handed it to Charlie, "I understand that this is about your adoptive Dad's son. He was trying to tell us that you're this other boy's clone or something. That the Air Force grew you."

Charlie took the paper, it was a photocopy of an article about this world's Charlie's death. He couldn't help but breath sharply when he saw his own younger face staring back at him. "That's kinda funny. Me and this Charlie were named after the same man. Our Dads served with him, Charlie Kawalsky. He died a few years ago. Thanks for this, I'll remember it."

Coach Nelson called out, "That's it for today boys. The roster will be posted on the bulletin board outside the locker when you're done in the showers. You all made a good effort, but I can't have all of you on the team. For those who didn't make it, I have named three alternates. If there are any injuries this year, you will be called upon in the order you're listed." he nodded to all of them, "Thank you. Now off you go."

Charlie turned to Jimmy and watched him for a minute before he turned and followed the others.

* * *

Outside the locker room, the boys jostled to see who had made it onto the team and who had not. Usually, once their name had been found or not, they backed away and let someone else have a look. Charlie waited patiently for the crowd to thin.

His name was there listed as the starting shortstop. Charlie dropped his hand and turned to walk away when he was shoved from behind, "You think you're so cool, but you're a freak. No one believes me, but I know. I know that you are some kind of duplicate of Charlie O'Neill, that kid who shot himself, and I will prove it."

Charlie stared at Jimmy, unsure just what to do or say, so he just turned and walked away. This kid just wasn't worth it. If he did anything, he wouldn't have only his parents angry with him but Cassie as well.

Failing to get a rise out of the other boy, Jimmy yelled, "First you take my girl; then you take my place on the team, but you won't get away with it. I won't let you."

Never hesitating, Charlie walked away. The other boy's words meant nothing to him, he'd been through hell and back again. A punk like Jimmy wasn't going to upset him.

Seeing that words weren't going to work, Jimmy just followed him and saw that Cassie was waiting for him on the steps of the school. Charlie talked to Cassie for a moment and then she hugged him. Linking hands, they walked over to Jack's truck, Charlie helped Cassie inside and they drove off.

Watching them, Jimmy came up with a plan. He would just have to bide his time for the right moment.

* * *

The rest of the month passed quickly for them. The O'Neills managed to find things to do as a family and enjoy their leave before Sam and Jack had to return to work.

When their time was up, Sam headed into her lab. Her time was spent studying all the gizmos and gadgets that were brought back mostly by the new SG-1. With her experience, she was able to decided what was worth sending to Area 51 and what went into the garbage.

She found that she missed the gate travel and the adrenaline rush that came with it, but for now she was content to come home each afternoon to meet Morgan's bus and sleep beside Jack when he wasn't on the night shift. She had always feared being a mother, but now that she was one, all her fears were gone.

Janet's exams hadn't turned up anymore Goa'uld and the base relaxed, but now every person who entered the mountain had to have a quarterly check up, no matter where they served in the complex.

Jack took his place as the General. His first order of business was to assign Reynolds and Hailey to replace himself and Sam on SG-1. It took a few missions, but Teal'c and Jonas Quinn adjusted. It was a rocky start, but in time they were able to begin trusting each other and work effectively.

Life went on and everything seemed to fall into place for the new family....

* * *

There you go. More soon tune in tomorrow... Kelleth


	15. The Shoe Drops

Author's Note: Here we are again. Enjoy!

* * *

Charlie waited for the other shoe to drop. He made it onto the school's team and Jimmy had not. There had to be something coming, but he had no idea what. He continued on hoping that Jimmy would just let it go.

The rumors about him flew around the school. There were whispers in the hallways. Everyone seemed to know about him and the other Charlie. More photocopies of the article about Jack's Charlie circulated throughout the school.

It was easy for him to ignore it until the stories about Cassie began. At first it was easy to be dismissed as petty stuff, but then it escalated and became unbearable for her. The day before he found her sitting alone in the spot where they usually met, crying. She tried to tell him that it didn't matter but Charlie knew Cassie well enough to know that it did. Those silly rumors had hurt her and he couldn't take it any longer.

After school, he cornered Jimmy on the far side of the field. Charlie pushed Jimmy up against the fence, "Stop this now. I know it's you. You can attack me all you want, but trying to get at me through Cassie ends now. You think you know about me, you don't." his voice was hard and cold. He's seen enough crap in his life that he wasn't going to let a punk like Jimmy taint Cassie's view of it.

Jimmy pushed him back, "Sure, whatever you say." the other boy sneered, "Gonna get your Daddy to clone you a brother so you can beat me up?"

Charlie loosened his hold and Jimmy collapsed on the ground, "You're pathetic. You're not even worth my time. I'm tired of this, stop now. Leave me and Cassie alone."

The two boys stared at each other waiting to see who would give in. It was Jimmy who turned away first and, disgusted at the other boy, Charlie walked away. He hoped this was the end, but he knew it wouldn't be.

Charlie came around the school to meet Cassie who'd stayed late to help with the yearbook. He had almost reached the spot where he was to meet her when he felt himself shoved hard from behind and had his feet taken out from underneath him. He hit the dirt and then someone kicked him hard in the stomach.

Although he tried to stifle the grunt of pain, it slipped out between his clenched teeth. Recovering, he grabbed the leg of his assailant. Using all of his strength, he flipped the person into the dirt as he caught a glimpse of who it was.

Getting to his feet Charlie thought about what he was doing and chose to did it anyway. He was done with doing this nicely. Jimmy Wilson had to learn and Charlie was the one to teach him. He waited for the other boy to get to his feet before he threw his first punch. Jimmy's head was thrown back and the boy rocked back on his heels.

Recovering Jimmy charged Charlie hitting him in the stomach. Letting out a grunt of pain Charlie twisted throwing both of them to the ground. He landed on top of Jimmy. All of his anger and frustration at the other boy flowed out as Charlie threw punch after punch.

Then suddenly it was over. Charlie was pulled off the unmoving Jimmy by the coach. Coach Nelson looked at the boy in the dirt and then at Charlie, who he restrained. He had been on his way to the field when he saw what happened.

"If I let you go are you going to go after him again?" Coach Nelson asked his voice was cautious.

Charlie shook his head, "No, I won't." His father, both of them had taught him when to fight and when to just surrender to the inevitable and see what happens.

The Coach knelt beside Jimmy who was out cold, "You sure know what to do. Go inside and get someone to help me take him inside to the nurse."

Nodding, he headed off back toward the school; he knew he was in big trouble, but he hoped that Jimmy was in a lot more. He got to the front doors where Cassie waited. He took the time to explain it to her and headed inside.

* * *

Charlie came out of the principal's office and saw Jack standing there still dressed in his BDUs. That meant that his dad had just come from the base. From the expression on his face, he wasn't very happy with something or someone.

He should have known that he couldn't be lucky enough to have Sam come and get him again. He studied Jack and was surprised when his dad squeezed his shoulder to show him that he wasn't mad at him.

"Cassie told me about what's been happening and I've come to talk to the principal. This has to stop right now. I want this over and this boy out of here. What he has done is just plain evil, and if you hadn't already beaten the crap out of him I would do it myself. I can understand wanting to deal with this yourself, but he took it too far. I know that you can handle his attacking you, but coming after Cassie, that is too much."

The coach stepped out of the principal's office and saw Jack standing there. He crossed over to the General and offered his hand. "Mr.- ah General O'Neill. I'm Mr Nelson Charlie baseball coach. I just want you to know that Charlie is a fine boy. This whole thing wasn't all his fault. We need him on the team, he's one of our best players. I hope that he'll be able to play on Friday, but I will stand by the principal's decision." The man shook Jack's hand again and the younger man left.

Jack and Charlie both sat down and waited. Charlie had spoken to the principal and given his side of the story after Jimmy had told his side of it in the nurse's office. Now it was time to wait.

Finally the door opened and the principal motioned for them to come inside. "General O'Neill," he offered his hand to Jack, "I regret that I had to meet you this way. I had no idea that this was happening in my school. Usually it gets back to me, but this seemed to have slipped through. It is no excuse for me or for Charlie. Jimmy has been expelled. With your testimony and the Coach's, there is no doubt that he is the instigator in this. The Coach thought he was trying to smash your knee and stop you from playing ball for the rest of the season, but that doesn't excuse you from your actions afterwards."

The principal sighed, "I have to suspend you, Charlie. This is your second fight in less than a month. I know you tried to walk away both times, but you still fought in the end."

Jack nodded, "We understand. I'll take him to collect his books and he'll return to school next Thursday. I'll have Cassie Fraser collect his homework, if that's alright?"

"Sounds fine. That is all." he held out his hand, "Goodbye. And Charlie, I hope that I don't see you in my office again."

Jack took the other man's hand and shook it, "I hope you won't either. Goodbye."

* * *

"Sam?" Jack called as he and Charlie entered the house.

"In here," came the reply. "What are you doing home so early?"

Jack and Charlie followed her voice and found her curled up on the couch listening to Morgan read her the _Wizard of Oz_. As they entered the room, Sam took the book from the little girl, "My turn."

Sam looked up at Jack who looked over at Charlie. No words were exchanged, but Sam understood that Charlie was in trouble again. She nodded to Jack and then turned her attention back to reading to Morgan.

The little girl giggled as Sam read. Sam changed her voice to reflect who was speaking. Jack sat down and enjoyed the show. Charlie, on the other hand, was glad for the reprieve, no matter how short.

When she finished the chapter, Sam closed the book and handed it to Morgan. "Put it by your bed and I will read some more tonight. Dad and I need to talk to Charlie, so why don't you go play in your room for a while. I will call you when dinner is ready."

Morgan smiled and hugged Sam, "Okay," and she skipped off and out of the room.

As soon as the girl had disappeared, Sam turned to Jack and asked, "What happened now?"

Jack looked at Charlie and motioned for him to explain, "I got suspended for fighting with Jimmy again. He was spreading rumors about me and Cassie. Me, I can handle, but the things he was saying about Cassie were horrible and I couldn't let them go. I told him to stop and walked away. Then he attacked me. I had just had enough; I lost my temper and I beat him badly until the coach stopped me. I know it wasn't smart, but I did it. I will take any punishment that you require."

Sam and Jack exchanged looks, "We will talk about it and let you know later tonight. Now get started on your homework."

Charlie nodded and headed to his room.

After a long talk, Sam and Jack decided that missing the game this week, due to his suspension, and having to come home right after school and practice for the next two weeks was enough.

Charlie accepted his punishment without any argument. When Cassie stopped by later that evening to pick up Charlie's homework, she asked if she was allowed to see him.

Sam smiled and told Cassie that she would find Charlie in his room.

* * *

Cassie knocked on the door and called his name as she pushed the closed door half open, "Charlie?"

He jumped at the sound of her voice and tucked something under his pillow, "Cassie, what are you doing here? I thought I was grounded?"

"You are. I just asked Sam to let me talk to you for a moment." she stopped to gather her thoughts before continuing, "I know why you did what you did. It was stupid, but thank you." she sat beside him on the bed.

Charlie swung his feet off the bed and sat up next to her. He looked down at his hands, "Do you ever wish that you could go back? To Hanka and have everything the way it was before Nirrti destroyed your life?"

Studying his profile Cassie wondered how to answer that question, "Yes and no. I liked my life there. I had my family and I was loved, but, if I stayed on Hanka, there is so much I would never have learned and experienced. I definitely wouldn't be as strong as I am now." she shrugged, "It's a hard question to answer mostly because I know it is all gone. I can't go back, there is nothing left for me there." she saw something in Charlie's face.

Reaching out, she grabbed his hand, "You want to go back, don't you?" her voice was full of pain.

"Yes, no, I don't know. It seems like here, all I do is causing problems and hurt people. If I had never come, Jimmy wouldn't have started those rumors about you." he looked at her to show that he regretted the hurt he had caused her even though it was involuntary.

Cassie shook her head, "How can you say that. Look at Sam and Jack. They were barely talking to each other before you came. Without you, they would still be that way. You made them admit how they feel about each other; nothing, not even the threat of dying, has even done that." she looked away, "And me. Charlie, I have never had a friend like you. Someone I can talk to about my life before. Who actually understands what it was like to loose everything. I have always had to shut that part of me away, but I don't have to with you. Please don't leave me."

Charlie looked over at Cassie, "I was just thinking out loud. I'm not going anywhere." he smiled at her and squeezed her hand.

Her smile was watery, but she wrapped her arms around him hiding her tears, "Good."

Charlie held her tight and for a moment he was home.

* * *

Charlie's suspension ended and now that Jimmy was at another school, things seemed to settle down. Cassie and Charlie spent more and more time together enjoying each other's company. His team made it to the playoffs and was on track to win state this year. When the children had been there almost three months, it was Sam's turn for her quarterly physical and it produced some interesting results.

* * *

He he. More soon. Let me know your thoughts. ~Kelleth~


	16. Surprise and Descisions!

**Author's Note:** Thank you for all your kind words. Here is the next chapter and I hope you enjoy it. This story is getting close to the end. I don't really have anything ready yet but I hope to soon. I have two stories done and I am just waiting to get them back from the betas. Read at the end to find out what they are.

Just to give you a heads up. I have company coming this weekend and I won't be able to post until at least Sunday if not Monday. So if there is nothing I haven't forgotten you. I just can't get near the computer. If you leave a review I'm more likely to try to find the time....

* * *

Sam walked into the infirmary to report for her quarterly exam about two months into her new assignment. Now that she wasn't traveling through the gate, she spent a lot less time in the infirmary and she missed seeing Janet. Since her reassignment and marriage they hadn't had much time to get together and Sam made a mental note to make sure to spend some time with Janet.

She submitted to the usual tests and was about to leave when Janet came over to her. She pulled Sam over to one of the beds as she closed the curtain around them. Janet's voice was soft as she asked, "Sam, have you and Jack been trying to get pregnant?"

Sam's head shot up, "What? No, we haven't even talked about it. Why?" She laid down on the bed as Janet motioned for her to do so.

"Because your pregnancy test came back positive. If you haven't kept track, I need to see how far along you are. Lift your shirt up so I can do an ultrasound." Janet said with a smile.

Pulling up her shirt, she examined her stomach where there was a slight bump, "I was on birth control. I had that shot..." she slapped herself in the head, "I never got the next one. I had an appointment to get it and then we got called to DC. Then there were the kids and I forgot all about it." her hand skimmed over the bump, "Pregnant?!" Sam took a deep breath and blew it out, "Can you call Jack so that I can tell him?

Smiling Janet said, "Actually I already did. Janet stopped, "Call him, not tell him." she looked at her watch, "He should be here-"

Janet was cut off as Jack shouted, "Samantha O'Neill where are you?" his voice was full of worry.

Sitting up, she grabbed her friend's arm, "Janet, what did you tell him? He sounds very worried." then she said a little louder, "Jack, we're in here."

Unrepentant Janet said, "I just said that you needed him in the infirmary right away." she motioned for Sam to lie down again, "Lift your shirt now that daddy's here and we'll take a look at baby."

Breathing hard as though he had run all the way from his office, Jack demanded, "What is wrong with Sam?" as he entered the curtained area dropping into a chair beside her bed. The worry on his face was obvious as he looked from one woman to the other.

Reaching out to him with her hand, Sam said, "Jack I'm fine. It's just-"

Janet had put the jelly on Sam's tummy and was sweeping the ultrasound wand over the area. Soon they could hear the thump of the baby's heart. "There you go, Jack. That is what is wrong with Sam." Janet said as she turned the monitor for the two of them to see the baby on the screen.

For a full minute Jack just stared at the fuzzy shape on the monitor. "A baby?" he looked at Sam, "Did you know about this?" he asked as he brought her finger to his lips.

Shaking her head, Sam said, "No, not until Janet told me a few moments before you got here. I hadn't even thought about it. Everything has been crazy in the last few months."

Janet could tell that they needed a few moments alone. She took Jack's free hand and put it on the wand, "Keep this right there. I'll be back in a minute." and then she slipped out leaving them with only the sound of the baby's heartbeat.

Jack watched the child move on the screen for a while and then turned back to Sam, "A baby? We're really having a baby?" bending over, he kissed her on the lips lingering for a while to enjoy the moment. "I never expected this, but now that we're here, I can't think of anything better. Sam, I love you and I love our baby."

Tears filled Sam's eyes, "Jack-" she broke off trying to gain control of her emotions, "I'm so happy."

"Knock, knock," came Janet's voice as she returned through the curtain. Jack sat back down in his chair and waited to hear what Janet had to say. She set the maternity chart down on the table and began to fill it out by asking them questions.

As soon as it was filled out, the happy parents were on their way home to tell the other two kids the great news.

* * *

They waited until after dinner to tell Charlie and Morgan, that way Cassie had gone home and it was just their family. Once the table was cleared off, Jack and Sam took the two kids into the living room and they all sat down on the couch together.

With their hands linked, Sam and Jack looked at each other and then Jack said, "We have good news. We're going to have a baby."

Morgan jumped up and squealed, hugging Sam and then Jack and then back to Sam again. "A baby? Can we name her Jo or Meg or Dorothy?" she asked as she jumped up and down on the spot clapping her hands.

Everyone laughed and Charlie got to his feet, "Mom and Dad, I'm happy for you. When's the baby due?" he asked. His voice was happy, but there was an underlying sadness to his words.

"Early March. Janet didn't do a full ultrasound. She said that I had to come back tomorrow. She would do it when the shock had worn off." Sam said with a laugh.

She studied him, something was wrong, "Is something wrong?" she was worried about him, the last few weeks he'd been withdrawn and not the same Charlie. She had hoped that he was still talking to Cassie, but she wasn't sure if he was. Something was wrong and Sam had no idea how to fix it.

Charlie just shrugged and shook his head, "No, I've just been tired lately, the coach was working us hard the last few weeks. Now that we have won state, it's just over." he turned slowly and headed out of the room.

He took a few steps and then he paused, "I'm very happy for the two of you. I have some homework to do. Mind if I head up to my room?"

Sam looked at Jack but he just shrugged. She knew now that something was wrong, but he didn't want to talk to them and she wouldn't force him to talk. "Sure but remember lights out at 2130."

Charlie almost smiled, "'Night mom, dad and you too squirt." he grabbed Morgan and hugged her tight, "See you all tomorrow."

* * *

Charlie almost made it all the way to his room before the tears began to flow. Ever since baseball season had ended he had been feeling lost. He tried to fill the void by spending more time with Cassie, but that was painful it its own way. His memories of Cas were becoming fuzzy and he was beginning to think of Cas and Cassie as the same people, but they weren't and they never would be.

At school, the fuss over the baseball team winning the state championship had died down and had been replaced with talk about the end of the school year and the prom. Charlie knew that he should ask Cassie, but he still wasn't sure how he felt about her. All the talk about dances was another reminder of home and the dance he and Cas had attended together.

On the other hand, there was no one else he wanted to share the night with. She was his best friend here and the only person who understood him. The dance was only two weeks away, he had to decide what he was going to do soon.

Now there was a new baby O'Neill on the way. Morgan hadn't known, but when O'Neill had sent them through the mirror Carter had been six months pregnant. They'd been here about three months now and that would mean that if she was still alive, they might have another sibling.

He looked around the room. It was so very similar to his room in his other house. The posters were different, but it felt the same. Charlie knew that he could make a life here, but it would never truly be home. The longer he stayed, the more he realized that this was true.

Laying down on the bed, he pulled out the picture of him and Cas. Those were his last moments as a child in his universe. Now, she was more likely dead and he was living a dead boy's life.

Dropping the picture, he rolled his face into the pillow and let the tears flow.

* * *

Sam watched Charlie go, confused. What had she said? The look on Charlie's face was full of horror. Worried, she squeezed Jack's hand, "I'm going to talk to him. I've been worried about him lately."

Jack held her hand for as long as possible, "Alright. I'll put Morgan to bed then. See you later."

Sam moved down the hall to Charlie's room, she could hear muffled sobs coming from behind the door. Taking a deep breath she knocked on the door, "Charlie?" and pushed it open.

The sounds immediately stopped as she stepped into the room. "What's wrong? If there's anything I can do?" she reached out and touched his shoulder, but he shook it off.

"I don't want to talk about it now. Can you leave me alone?" was Charlie's only answer.

"Okay," Sam's voice was full of hurt as she turned to leave, but she hesitated at the door. How much easier would her relationship have been with her father if he had just stopped and really listened when she had said those same words. Should she push him a little bit harder to talk to her?

Turning, she looked at Charlie and she knew what the right choice was. You didn't help anyone by leaving them alone when they were in pain. "Charlie is this about the baby? Talk to me. I think you need to talk to someone, even if you really don't want to. I'm here to listen." Still standing in the doorway, she waited for him to speak.

When she was about to give up, Charlie spoke, "My Mom, the other one, when the SGC fell, she was six months pregnant. I don't know if she and the baby are alive. Morgan never knew about the baby, they had decided not to tell her. She had already lost so many people, they didn't want to add to that number. They were going to tell her the night the Goa'uld came for us."

As soon as Sam heard those words she crossed the room and sat down beside him on the bed. Charlie's face was still hidden by his pillow. She rubbed small circles on his back hoping it was comforting.

"I'm so sorry that you had to go through all that. We-" she stopped and looked up to find Jack standing in the doorway. He had been on his way to tuck Morgan in when he'd heard what the two of them were talking about. The two adults had a silent conversation with their eyes and Jack nodded.

Nodding in return Sam said, "We, Jack and I, know that we're not your real parents but we want you to be happy. We don't expect you to forget them or what they were to you, but you need to talk to us when you feel this way and let us help you. Don't shut us out." she squeezed his shoulder one last time and got up from the bed.

She had just taken Jack's outstretched hand when Charlie sat up, "I am really happy about your baby. Morgan will love it. You two deserve to be happy. Why don't you go out and celebrate. I'll stay here with Morgan."

Jack and Sam exchanged looks, "Are you sure about this?" Jack asked not sure about this change in mood.

"Yes, I'm fine. I will put Morgan to bed. You two get ready and head out. Do it for me, please," Charlie said as he got off the bed.

He watched them disappear into their bedroom and then crossed over to Morgan's. "Time for bed Pumpkin." he moved to her dresser, pulled out a pair of pajamas and held them out.

"You can't call me that. Only Daddy can call me that, the other one." she stopped, " I miss him and our other Mommy, can we go home someday?"

Charlie sat down on the floor next to Morgan, "I don't know. Bad things happened where we used to live and our home might not be there any more. We're safe here and so we should stay here for a while." He pulled her close.

Morgan nodded her head, "Okay, but when I'm bigger I want to go back and save Mommy and Daddy from the snake men. I know that I could do it."

Charlie buried his face in her hair so that she would not see his tears, "I know you could, Pumpkin, but we have to wait for you to grow up."

"Charlie can you read to me?" Morgan asked, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "It helps me fall asleep. Mommy usually comes in but she hasn't yet."

Charlie nodded and helped her get into her pajamas. Then the two of them curled up together on the bed with _The Wizard of Oz_. "Do you want to read Morgan?" Charlie asked.

She shook her head, "No you read. I like the sound of your voice. It reminds me that I'm not alone."

Charlie had read a few pages when Jack and Sam came into Morgan's room to say goodnight before leaving. Sam bent over and kissed Morgan goodnight, "We are going out for a while tonight. We'll be back in a few hours."

Morgan looked at Charlie and worry was plain on her face, "Are you staying with me, Charlie?"

"Yep, I'll be here with you," Charlie sat hugging her tight, "They will be home when you wake up. I promise Morgan."

Jack took Sam's place beside Morgan, "'Night Princess, have sweet dreams."

"I love you daddy." and she gave him a sloppy kiss on his cheek.

A smile crossed his face, "I love you, too." then he took Sam's hand and led her out of the room.

Once they were gone, Charlie started reading again. After a while Morgan rubbed her eyes and sighed, "Charlie, can you tuck me in now. I'm sleepy."

With a smile on his face, Charlie helped her get into bed and covered her with her blankets, "I'll be right across the hall if you get scared alright?"

Settling down into her covers she said, "'Night Charlie. See you in the morning."

He stayed there sitting on Morgan's bed watching her sleep and made a decision.

* * *

I hope that is what you were all thinking it was. Let me know any thoughts you have, good or bad.

So here is what we will do, I have two stories finished,which one do you want? One is the Asgard Baby fic-Baby Mine, Ours! and the other is my Jon/Cassie fic-Who Am I, Who Are You?. I will set up a poll and you folks can vote. I will post both of them but you get to pick which one you want first. If you would like to read sample chapters before choosing send me an email and I will send them to you.

I will post the story with the most votes first.


	17. Hard Choices and Consequences

**Author's Note**: Hubbie went out and that gave me time to get this ready. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. There is only three more after this one. My plan is to post the two stories I have done before I leave for my holiday at the end of July. That might mean multiple chapters some days. I hope to let you know what is happening before the end of this story.

So far the Baby Mine, Ours! fic is winning but I promise I will post Who Am I, Who Are You? as before the end of July.

* * *

When he was satisfied that Morgan was asleep, Charlie slipped out of the room closing the door. Moving down the hall he picked up the phone and dialed Cassie's number.

The phone rang and rang and it seemed like no one was going to answer. Charlie was about to hang up when an out of breath voice said, "Hello?"

At the sound of Janet's voice Charlie was unsure what to say. Swallowing he said, "Uh, can I talk to Cassie?"

Janet smiled, the two of them, were so cute. "Yep she's right here." Janet muffled the receiver, "Cas, Charlie is on the phone."

Then Cassie yelled back, "I got it mom. You can hang up now."

There was silence as they waited for the click of Janet hanging up the phone and it continued after until Cassie asked, "Charlie are you still there?"

"Yes, ah Cassie," he rubbed the back of his neck, "I was wondering if you wanted to go to the Prom with me? I know that I should do something big and cool, but that is not me."

Cassie closed her eyes, she'd been hoping this would happen. She drew a deep breath, "Yes, when will you pick me up?"

"Uh five or so, we'll go out to eat before the dance. I'll make a reservation at O'Malley's."

A smile crossed Cassie's features, "That sounds perfect. I have to go now. See you tomorrow." she said trying to contain the excitement in her voice.

"Bye then." Charlie said, "See you tomorrow."

"Bye," and then she hung up the phone.

* * *

Cassie hung up the phone and yelled, "Mom, we need to go to buy me a dress. Charlie just invited me to the Prom. I need to go and get it tonight."

Janet came down the hallway drying her hands, "What happened? I'm in the middle of cleaning the kitchen."

Sighing in exasperation Cassie said, "Mom, I have to do this now. If I wait any longer the other girls will get the dress I want. The store closes in a little while and we need to get going."

Looking at her watch, Janet shook her head, "Cassie we don't have enough time to pick out a dress. We will go tomorrow after school."

"Moo-om" said Cassie as she rolled her eyes, "I have a dress. I picked it out when I went shopping last week with Jenny. We only have to go and pick it up." she grabbed her mother's hand and pulled, "Come on."

Janet managed to grab her keys and purse as Cassie tugged her out the door.

Hours later they returned with Cassie's dress and Janet was exhausted. They had found the dress easily enough but Cassie wanted shoes and a purse to go with it. So that meant they spent the last few hours looking for what Cassie wanted.

* * *

The day of the Prom Cassie came home at lunch time and began to get ready. Janet had taken the day off of work and so she was there to help. Then, by four-thirty, she had her hair done and she was pacing her bedroom.

Promptly at five Charlie arrived at Cassie's house driving Sam's car. He knocked and Janet answered it. She smiled at the sight of Charlie dressed in a rented tux with a corsage box in his hands. He shuffled his feet nervously. "Evening Janet. How are you tonight?"

"I'm good Charlie. Let me get Cassie for you." she closed the door and headed half way up the stairs. "Cassie, Charlie's here."

"I'll be done in a minute." Cassie called as she checked herself in the mirror one last time before heading downstairs.

* * *

Janet watched Cassie come down the stairs and took some photographs. Then she forced the two of them to pose for more pictures together. The two young people groaned, but Janet wouldn't give up. "I have to take these or Sam and Jack will never forgive me."

The two people sighed and Charlie answered, "Fine then. Take your pictures, but we have to go soon or we will loose the reservation."

Janet laughed, "I know, I know. Just a few more. Charlie, I want to get one of you putting on the corsage." Charlie knew that she would not give up until she got her pictures.

He opened the package and slid the flowers onto Cassie's wrist as the camera flashed again.

Even cooperating, they still weren't able to leave for another fifteen minutes. Arm in arm they left the house and walked down to the car. Charlie opened the door for her helping her inside the car.

The drive to the restaurant was quiet because neither of them really knew what to say. The meal and the dance rushed by them and the end of the night came too quickly.

Charlie drove her home. Crossing to the far side of the car, he opened the door of Sam's car. Charlie helped her out of the car, then unsure what to do he linked his fingers through Cassie's and led her up to the porch.

The two of them stepped up to the door both of them feeling very awkward. Cassie finally said, "Thank you for the nice night. I'll remember it always." her voice was sad and tears spilled over her lashes.

"Cas," Charlie stepped forward as he wished things could be different. Gently he took her face between his hands, "I'm so sorry." and then he brought her lips to meet his.

Then it was over and both stepped back. "Goodbye Charlie." more tears spilled over her eyes. "I hope you find her." and then she was gone.

Charlie stood there wondering how she had known before he did.

Now all that remained was telling his parents.

* * *

Charlie closed the door quietly hoping that his parents would be asleep and not waiting up for him. He wanted a little bit of time to think about his decision and how to tell them. They weren't going to like it, but he hoped they would understand and accept it.

He headed down the hall to his room when he heard his father call out, "Charlie, is that you? Come in here and tell us about the dance."

Looking longingly at his room for a moment, Charlie turned and headed into the family room wondering how to tell them that he wanted to go home, back to his Universe.

This was not his life and when he sat across the table from Cassie tonight, it wasn't the same. There were so many times that he want to tell her something only to realize that he would have to explain it, that this Cassie had not been his accomplice. He could never replace the girl he loved with this Cassie, it wasn't fair to her or him. He needed to go back and see if there was still a chance for him and Cas.

Sighing, he watched Sam and Jack, they may not have been his real parents but they had given up so much to give him and Morgan a home. They had gained a lot, but that was not their reason, instead it was an added bonus to the situation.

They waited for him expectantly and he hated to disappoint them. He tried to think of some words that would soften the blow and not break their hearts.

Sam and Jack lay cuddled together on the couch. Jack's hand still rested on Sam's slightly rounded stomach where their child grew.

Once more Charlie hesitated for a moment, he and Morgan had been here only a few months but these two people had come to mean as much to him as his Sam and Jack.

There were days when he almost forgot they weren't his real parents, but these two hadn't got married just so that they could be in the Stargate program and not lose Charlie. In some ways these two had been through much more horrific things but now they were together and strong. If he left them they would be alright.

"Charlie?" he looked up and met Sam's eyes, "Are you okay? Did something happen?" now he could see that she was worried.

He shook his head, "Mom, Dad, I have something to tell you?"

"What is it son, you're not in trouble are you?" Jack asked as worry creased his features as well.

Now that he had both of their undivided attention he said, "I'm not doing this to hurt you or anything, but I want to go home." he stopped and took a deep breath, "I have to go home. I can't stay here because I don't belong here. I don't even know if I can go home, but I need to try. There might be a second mirror somewhere in my universe, too." he dropped onto the couch beside them.

"The more I stay here the more I see how different I am. I want my life back, some of the people I knew may have been evacuated to the Alpha Site, my Cas might have been one of them. It might be all gone but I have to know for sure."

Sam wrapped her arms around him, "Are you sure about this? What about Morgan, what kind of life will she have there?"

"I was hoping to leave her here for now. Once things are settled I will come back for her. Dr. Carter told me how to find my universe again. She gave me a device to help me find it again. It's set to some readings that are specific to my universe. I have it in my stuff. Can you two help me?"

Jack and Sam exchanged looks, "This could be very dangerous. You need to be sure about all of this. Once you're there it may not be very easy to come back again." Jack said and Sam squeezed Charlie's hand.

"I know, but it is something that I need to do. I need to see for myself that there is nothing there for me. No one knows what happened to me so they can't come to find me, I need to find them. Please don't say no!" he begged them.

Sam sighed at the look of determination on the teenager's face and she knew that she couldn't deny him. If they did, Charlie would try to do it alone and that would be ten times more dangerous than if they helped him.

With her other hand she grabbed onto Jack's and once again they shared a look. Again it was Jack who spoke, "Okay son, you can do this but I'm coming, too. Also we have to get permission from the right people."

He looked straight at Charlie to let the boy know that this might be out of his hands, "The mirror is already at the SGC. We stole it back from the NID with all their other treasures. So give me a few days to get this set up and we'll go from there."

Tears filled his eyes but for once Charlie didn't try to hide them. He launched himself into Jack's arms, "Thank you for understanding what I needed to do."

Jack hesitated for a moment and hugged the boy back with unashamed tears in his own eyes. Struggling for control, he pulled back, "Time for bed Charlie, it's late. You can tell us about your date tomorrow."

The boy nodded and hugged Sam, "Thank you."

Sam held him tight for a moment longer and then let him go, "'Night Charlie, we love you. See you in the morning."

The boy nodded and headed out of the room. He was almost out the door when he turned back to the two adults still sitting on the couch, "I love you, too, Mom and Dad." and then he disappeared down the hall.

* * *

Thank you. More soon. By the way I have never been to a prom so I didn't try to describe what it would be like. I was a borring teenager I admit it. ~Kelleth~


	18. Telling and Leaving

Author's Note: Well we are almost done this one. Reviews have fallen off are you guys made at me? Well I guess if you are you will be even madder at the end of this one. Love to hear you comments....

* * *

A few days passed and Charlie waited to hear from Jack about whether or not they'd be able to go through the mirror. He also knew that he would have to talk to Cassie and tell her that he was leaving.

He had tried a few times but she was avoiding him just as much as he was avoiding her. He told himself that he was waiting until Jack told him if he was really going, but it was just an excuse. No matter how much courage he had to do so many other things, talking to Cassie terrified him.

Finally Jack came home his face was full of worry but he held out the paper to Charlie. "We leave tomorrow. Are you sure about this? It will be dangerous. We have no idea what we will find when we step through that mirror." Jack looked directly at Charlie making sure he understood the risks.

"Yes, I need to know that it is all gone. If it is all gone, I know that I belong here with all of you. If there is anything I can do for them I want to help." Charlie explained.

Nodding Jack sighed, "Alright then. The arrangements have been made. Have you talked to Cassie and told her that you are leaving? She needs to hear it from you."

Charlie shook his head, "No. I should have done that already but she has been avoiding me." he turned to leave but stopped, "You and Sam know that this has nothing to do with the two of you. I need to know if my parents and Cas are alive. I never meant to hurt you but I need to know."

Jack reached out his hand, "I understand Charlie. I would feel the same way," but dropped his hand, unsure if Charlie wanted any comfort.

Charlie saw the move, taking a step toward Jack the boy hugged him tightly. "I love you Dad and thank you for everything. Your Charlie would be proud of you because I am. You are a good man Jack O'Neill whether you believe it or not." and then he was gone.

* * *

Charlie drove slowly trying to think of a way to tell Cassie that would not hurt her. He knew it had to be done, but he just wished there was another way. She already had an idea that he was leaving, but knowing it for sure would be much harder for her. Charlie liked Cassie, he liked her a lot, she just wasn't Cas, the girl who he'd grown up with, and until he knew for sure that Cas was dead, he couldn't give up on her or the chance to have a life with her.

He knew it was silly, he was only sixteen and he had his whole life in front of him, but somehow he knew that if Cas was still alive, they would have a future together.

The drive ended quicker than he would have liked as he pulled up at the Frasier home. As he headed up the sidewalk, his steps dragged. Before he reached the door, it opened and Cassie was framed in the fading light.

"Charlie!" her voice was surprised. She had her purse in her hand and Janet was right behind her.

He stopped and shoved his hands into his pockets, "I need to talk to you. Can I come in?" his voice was hesitant and she shrugged.

"Mom, can you give us a minute?" She asked Janet who nodded before heading back into the house. Once Janet was gone, Cassie turned back to Charlie. She motioned to the swing on the front porch. The two of them sat awkwardly on the swing, close to each other but not touching.

He turned his head to see Cassie watching him before he could say a word she said, "Charlie, I know you have decided to leave. I've known since the night of the Prom, but it's really going to happen, isn't it?" her voice was quiet, "You're really going back." It was a statement not a question.

"Yes, I never meant to hurt you." he sighed, "I-"

Cassie took his hand and squeezed it, "It's alright. I knew all along that you love her, the other me. I told myself that even as I found that I loved you, too. I knew that one day you would leave me to find her because I would have done the same. You're too much like Jack, both of them, to leave all those people behind and live a nice fluffy life here. I didn't know how much time we would have together but I wanted to make the most of it." she pulled him into his arms giving him comfort, "I meant what I said that night. I do hope you find her. Goodbye Charlie. Be safe." she kissed him once on the lips and then she was gone.

The door slammed as she went back inside. Charlie sat there for a long time wishing things could be different but knowing they couldn't. The door opened and closed again and Charlie looked up expecting to find Cassie standing there. He was surprised to find Janet instead.

"I think it's time for you to go, Charlie." her voice was not angry, just sad.

Charlie stood and turned to Janet, "For what its worth, I really wanted this to be home when I came here. I really wanted to make a new life here, I just couldn't forget the old one. Forget those people I left behind."

Janet reached out and squeezed his shoulder, "It's alright, Charlie. I do understand and so does Cassie. She's just upset right now. She doesn't want you to leave but she knows that you have to. She loves you enough not to try and change who you are. Be careful tomorrow." she touched his face one last time.

"Thanks Janet. I should go now. Tell Cassie-" he paused unsure if he should say it, "Tell her that I won't forget her. Tell her goodbye." he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away down to the car without looking back.

Janet watched him go hoping that he'd find what he was looking for.

* * *

Charlie arrived back at the house and Sam was waiting when he came through the door. Immediately she hugged him, "How did she take it?"

Shrugging Charlie said, "She already expected it. All I did was confirm it. Sam, I never meant to hurt her or you? I really didn't-"

His pain about having hurt Cassie and them was clearly written on his face and Sam hugged him harder, "I know that and I know Cassie does, too. Have you told Morgan yet?" Sam asked, letting him go.

"You haven't told her yet?" Charlie was surprised, he'd thought Sam would have done that already.

Sam shook her head, "No, I wasn't sure if you wanted to do it yourself."

Charlie sighed, "She should hear it from me, not you. I should do it now. Where is she?"

"She's in her room with Jack. He's reading to her before bedtime." she said and motioned with her other hand down the hallway. Charlie squeezed her hand where it rested on his shoulder and headed down the hallway.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Sam asked before he disappeared around the corner.

Stopping, Charlie turned back and thought for a moment, "Yes, I'd like that."

Sam and Charlie headed to Morgan's room. Jack looked up when Sam and Charlie opened the door. Morgan, who was reading, sensed that something was wrong and stopped mid sentence to look at the doorway as well.

Her blue eyes sought out everyone and then finally settled on Charlie, "What happened?"

"I'm going back, Morgan. I'm going home," Charlie stated bluntly.

Morgan looked at the adults, "I can't go, can I?" her voice was quiet and sad but they all heard her.

Jack wrapped his arms around her, "If it's safe, you will be able to go home, too. Just not on this trip. Charlie and I will go first to check it out."

Charlie stepped into the room, "I have to know what happened to them. If there is nothing left for us there I will come back and stay, but I have to know." he sat down on the other side of Morgan, "You're not loosing me. I will come back."

Morgan wrapped her arms around Charlie, "I know but please be careful and tell Mommy and Daddy that I love them."

"I will Pumpkin. I will," Charlie promised.

During the exchange Jack crossed the room and stood next to Sam, who still stood by the door. With tears in her eyes, Sam watched the two children say goodbye to each other. Leaning into Jack she said, "I don't want them to leave, but somehow I knew that they weren't ours to keep."

Jack wrapped his arm around her shoulder, "It will all work out. Let's leave them alone." he said as his hand traveled down her arm to link her hand with his. "Let's go to bed." and he led her to their room so the two of them could say their goodbye.

* * *

Early the next morning Jack awoke still tangled up with Sam. He held her close for a few more moments before he slid from the bed. Kissing her temple he said, "I love you Sam. I'll come home to you and our baby. Always - trust me Sam." and then he went to wake Charlie so they could head to the mountain.

Jack crossed to Charlie's room and found him asleep on his bed with Morgan curled up beside him. Shaking the teenager, Jack called, "Charlie. It's time to get up."

Charlie woke up and sat up carefully so that he didn't disturb Morgan. He dressed quickly and said to Jack, "She climbed into my bed early this morning. She said she had a nightmare and that I could make it better." he stopped and looked at his little sister, "Is she going to be alright?"

Picking up Charlie's pack from the floor, Jack studied Morgan as well, "She'll be fine. She's strong and she has Sam. Now let's get going before she wakes up."

The two of them left the room, both forcing themselves not to look back.

* * *

Sam rolled over reaching for Jack but found his side of the bed cold and empty. Immediately sitting up, she searched the room for him but she knew that he was already gone. Grabbing his discarded shirt from the floor she went to check on Morgan. When she opened the door to the little girl's room she found the bed empty.

It was then she heard the quiet sobbing coming from Charlie's room. Opening the door she found Morgan sitting in the middle of Charlie's bed crying, "He's gone, Mommy and he might not come back."

Sam sat down on the bed cradling the sobbing girl in her arms as she rocked her. "We have to believe that they will come back Morgan. We have to."

Gathering the girl in her arms, Sam carried her back to her bed and together they fell into a restless sleep while they waited to hear good news or bad.

* * *

Sorry, I'd forgotten about this one. It made me cry. I knew they said goodbye but I'd forgotten how emotional it was. I will be a nice author. If enough of you review I will post the next chapter later today and the last one tomorrow morrning. I hope to hear from you. ~Kelleth~


	19. Into the Mirror

**Author's Note**: Here is the second to last chapter and then we are all done. This was a very fun ride and I hope you all enjoyed it. This story ended the way I always intended. I knew how it would end just not how to get there. I know I can't make everyone happy but I hope at the end all of my readers are.

I will also post the last one as well I just need to go over it. You guys have been great. Enjoy!

* * *

Jack and Charlie geared up in the locker room with Reynolds and Teal'c. Jonas Quinn has already finished and was studying the mirror.

No one spoke and Jack found himself longing for the days when SG-1 would be laughing and teasing each other as they got ready to step into the unknown, but those days were gone. Daniel was off doing what ever he was doing now, Sam was at home with Morgan and he and Teal'c were here with a new team.

Finishing his own gear, Jack checked over Charlie's and nodded, "Looks good. Let's move out." he was proud of the man this boy would become.

Reynolds and Teal'c proceeded them out the door and Jack was about to follow when Charlie asked, "Dad, I want a weapon. We don't know what we will find behind that mirror. If we run into trouble, you will need all the weapons you have."

Jack froze, "What?" his voice was harsher that he intended.

Charlie sighed, he'd known that would be hard, but he hadn't realized how hard it was for Jack to hear it.

"A gun," he said, "I want a gun to defend myself and you. My other dad taught me to use one when we hid out in the SGC. He knew how important it was for me to be able to protect myself and Morgan."

Jack's eyes turned to the weapon in his locker. It was the same kind of weapon that killed his son Charlie and now this one wanted Jack to give him the same weapon.

Reaching into the locker he pulled out the weapon, "This is my gun. I entrust it to you. Don't even draw it unless I tell you to."

Charlie closed his hand over the gun, "Yes sir. I won't let you down."

Jack squeezed his shoulder before leaving the room, "I know you won't."

* * *

Everyone gathered around the mirror. Charlie used his device to find the right world and Jack was about to touch the mirror and go through first when Reynolds blocked his way. "With all due respect General, I think Teal'c and I should go first."

Jack looked at Teal'c who only raised his eyebrow and nodded. Jack stepped back and let Reynolds and Teal'c stand next to the mirror. Each of them reached out and touched the mirror only to vanish and reappear on the other side.

Next Jack and Charlie did the same followed by Jonas and Hailey.

Jack immediately pulled Charlie to the side away from the door where any attack would come. "Reynolds, Hailey take point with Charlie and me in the middle with Jonas and Teal'c on our six."

As they moved quickly through the corridors, Jack was glad that they did not find any bodies of the SGC personal, Jaffa or Goa'uld. It seems that someone had cleaned up the place while Charlie was gone.

Part of him had been afraid to step through the mirror and find his alternate's and Sam's half decomposed bodies in the room with the mirror. That hadn't happened and he was relieved as much for himself as for Charlie. He wasn't sure how he'd react to a dead Sam, even if it wasn't the one he was married to.

They were all silent as they moved through the corridors toward the control room. Jack was surprised that the SGC looked so nice. Only three months ago these guys had been fighting for their lives and he expected to find rubble in the hallways and staff blasts on the walls, but all the hallways looked just like his own SGC.

Deciding not to use elevator, Jack sent Reynolds through the door at the bottom of the stairs first. Everyone gathered around waiting to hear back from him that the way was clear.

Finally, a few minutes later, Jack's radio said, "General, can you tell these folks that I'm not going to hurt anyone and that I'm not a Goa'uld?"

"What is your status Reynolds?" Jack responded.

"Uh, I'm in a little trouble here, but I think you can settle it for me, Sir." Reynolds' voice came back again.

Jack motioned for the others to stay back while he moved through the door. It was dimmer in this hallway and he gave his eyes a moment to adjust before he moved forward. Reynolds was on his stomach with a gun pointed at his head. That didn't disturb Jack as much as who was doing the pointing.

Another Jack O'Neill held the P90 at the Marine Colonel's head. O'Neill smiled, "So you're a General, too? Who'd you have to kill to make that happen in your universe?"

Jack looked at the other man, "No one. They just had to think you were dead."

* * *

O'Neill's smile got bigger, "Well I'm not dead, so you'll have to give those shiny stars back. Is Charlie with you?" he looked around behind Jack.

Jack took a moment to study the other O'Neill. The man had a wicked looking scar that cut across his cheek and one hand was slightly twisted but he still seemed to have use of it. "Maybe, but how do we know that you are well - you and not some snakehead?"

O'Neill shrugged, "You bring Doc Frasier with her pen light, she can torture me into telling you the truth with it."

"For crying out loud do you really think I'd bring the Doc into a potential snakepit?" Jack demanded.

"No, I guess not. Well, I suggest that we head down to the infirmary and I can show you." then to the man on his stomach he said, "Reynolds on your feet. General, call the rest of your party and we'll head down there." O'Neill said as he lowered his weapon and allowed Reynolds to get to his feet and reclaim his P90.

Jack looked at Reynolds and then at O'Neill, "No, I think I have a better way. It's much quicker." Jack smashed his fist into his alternate's jaw.

O'Neill's head snapped back, "Ow, what did you do that for?" he asked rubbing the spot on his jaw.

Once he made contact, Jack shoved his hands into his pockets waiting to see if O'Neill's eyes flashed. "Just checking." when there was no flash he called out. "Teal'c, you can bring the rest through the door, it's safe now."

The rest of the party arrived and Charlie saw O'Neill standing next to Jack. "Dad, you're alive, how? Is Mom?" the boy demanded throwing himself into his father's arms.

O'Neill held onto him for a moment and then stepped back a little embarrassed by his show of emotions in front of strangers. "I just got back from speaking with the Asgard. I need to let the control room know what I found out, but I can tell you this. The Asgard showed up not long after I sent you and Morgan through the mirror. They helped us clean up our snake problem and are now helping us rebuild. If it wasn't for them, Sam would have died and the baby." he made a motion with his hands, "Now, let us get going."

Nodding his head, Charlie smiled, "Mom and the baby are fine?" and then he hugged O'Neill again. "Where is she?" he asked, before letting go and following O'Neill down the corridor.

O'Neill ignored the question heading down the corridor without waiting to see if they would follow.

* * *

They arrived in the control room but found only Walter. Charlie's face fell and Jack knew that he had been hoping to find Carter there.

Walter sat in front of a bank of monitors setting the dialing program. At the sound of someone returning he said, "I have the computers up and running Sir and we should be able to dial the beta site in a few minutes." he turned and found the room full of a lot more people than O'Neill.

"Uh Sir-" he tried again unsure who to address.

Both Jacks spoke at the same time, "Don't worry, he's with me, dial away."

"Yes sir." he turned back to the monitor, "Dialing the Beta site. Chevron one locked… ."

O'Neill looked at Jack and quirked his brow, "Tell them that the Asgard have cleared the skies and it is safe to come home." O'Neill looked around, "Walter what did you do with-" the phone on the wall rang and O'Neill answered it. He listened for a few moments and then he ran from the room without hanging up the phone.

* * *

Just where is Carter? Tune in tomorrow and you will find out. Oh I would love to hear your thoughts stones included.

~Kelleth~


	20. The End From the Beginning

**Author's Note:** Here we are again. This is the end I'm sad to say. I have finished Letters From Cam and will post the last chapter on Tuesday. I hope to start my next story, Baby Mine, Ours! on Monday July 6. So watch for it.

Hope you like the end.

* * *

Charlie and Jack watched O'Neill leave, surprised at his actions. Charlie crossed to the phone and listened for a moment before he hung it up running after O'Neill. He paused just before heading out the door calling to Jack, "Are you coming?"

Jack stayed where he was for a moment and then chose to follow Charlie and O'Neill. They obviously needed his help. As they disappeared down the stairs Jack shouted, "All of you stay here and help Walter to get the rest of the people to return through the gate. We're following him."

O'Neill was moving so fast that Jack and Charlie had a hard time keeping up with him. It was a little strange for Jack to race down the halls of the SGC and not have to worry about running over someone, usually Siler.

They caught up with him as O'Neill headed up the stairs and they all crashed through the doors of the infirmary together.

* * *

At the door crashing open, Sam looked up from her spot on the floor, "Charlie where did you come from?" she lay on the floor in an awkward angle as she cradled her distended tummy.

"I came home. I had to know if you and Dad were alright. I couldn't stay there without knowing what happened to you and the rest of the people here." he explained as he crossed to her side.

About to answer Sam grabbed her stomach and shouted "Ahhh!" and there was now a large puddle on the floor.

O'Neill crossed the room and held her hand until the contraction passed. When it was over he lifted her in his arms and placed her on one of the beds. Grabbing her hand he asked, "How long have you been having contractions, Sam?" O'Neill demanded as she crushed his hand.

"A while," she tried but O'Neill quirked his eyebrow, "An hour," O'Neill's eyebrow climbed almost into his hair line and Carter smiled sheepishly, "Okay, about three hours. They started just after you left to meet with the Asgard." She flinched as her body was racked with another contraction. "Walter said that everything was up and running so I came down here to monitor the baby's heart rate."

O'Neill looked at Jack, "Do you have any idea how to do this?" he motioned Sam's belly.

Jack shrugged, "I missed Charlie's birth. I'm sure you did, too. I have attended one birth but it was Daniel who delivered the baby, not me." He looked around hoping that maybe Daniel was ascended here, too and he would show up. When nothing happened he said, "I was busy trying not to watch, but since there is no one else I guess I will have to do this. Charlie, see if you can find me some antiseptic, I'll need you to clean my hands. Also see if you can find one of the baby warmers. There should be one somewhere." then he turned to O'Neill, "Find a gown so Carter can stay slightly modest and one of those sheets that never keep you warm." he was sure that he was forgetting something so he shouted, "And anything else you can think of."

Nodding their heads O'Neill and Charlie began to search through the cupboards looking for what Jack asked for. By the time Charlie arrived with the antiseptic, Jack had taken off his vest and jacket, tossing them to the side. He held out his hands and Charlie cleaned them thoroughly. "Carter, how do you feel?"

"Well I feel like I'm having a baby. What else do you need to know?" Carter was angry at Jack's stupid question. The expression on her face changed and she shouted, "The baby is coming now."

Horror crossed Jack's face, was he really going to have to do this? He'd hoped that someone would get here before he had to actually deliver this baby.

Taking a deep breath, he looked beneath the sheet and saw the baby's head crowning. "Carter, you're almost done now." then he turned to Charlie, "Turn on the heat light, your baby brother or sister is on its way."

Carter lay on the bed breathing heavily and he smiled at her, "Okay on the next contraction I need you to push."

* * *

Half and hour later the wet wriggling infant spilled out into Jack's waiting hands. Charlie handed him a blanket which Jack wrapped around the baby. Placing the child on Carter's stomach, Jack checked to make sure the baby was breathing and its airway was clear. Next, working together, O'Neill and Charlie cut and clamped the baby's cord.

Jack, on the other hand, delivered the afterbirth, which he tossed into a ice cream pail provided by Charlie, not really sure what to do with it. When those tasks were done, Jack picked up the baby once more and handed it to Carter, "You have a beautiful son."

Turning away, Jack left them alone while he washed his hands. They were a family and the four of them deserved a moment alone. His work here was done, it was time to collect his team and head back to his Sam.

A hand on his shoulder made him jump. Jack turned to find O'Neill standing there. "Thank you for looking after my children and delivering my son. You need to head back through the mirror soon so you and some of the others don't start cascading."

Shaking the offered hand Jack said, "I'll bring Morgan home tomorrow. We'll meet you at the mirror at 0900."

"Sounds good. Would you like to hold him once before you go. After all you did deliver him." O'Neill slapped him on the back, "Besides, Charlie tells me that you have your own little O'Neill on the way, you need the practice."

Not knowing what to say, Jack just nodded following O'Neill across the room. The other man took the child from Carter placing him in Jack's arms. "Jack O'Neill meet Daniel Jack O'Neill. Tell Morgan that her little brother is ready for her to come home and be a big sister."

Cuddling the baby close his voice full of emotion, Jack said, "I can do that." he held onto Danny for a moment more before handing him back to O'Neill. Daniel already had a few namesakes throughout the galaxy but this was his first.

Bending down, he kissed Carter's forehead, "Congrats." and then turned to Charlie hugging the boy tightly. "Sam and I love you. Be strong Charlie. Thank you for everything you have done for us." he told the boy as he let go and turned to leave.

As he headed for the infirmary door Jack keyed his radio, "SG-1 this is the General. Meet me at the mirror, it's time to go, our work is done here. We're moving out."

Jack took one last look at the family still gathered around Carter. He gave them one last wave and turned to leave. He was almost out of the door when he was run over by a Cassandra Frasier. "Charlie!" she shouted as she helped Jack to his feet.

Charlie looked up from where he stood next to his parents. He had been holding Danny for the first time enjoying being home with his parents.

When he saw her standing in the doorway, he handed the baby to Sam and crossed the room and scooped Cassie into his arms "Oh Cas, I never thought I would see you again. I hoped that you might be alive, but-" and then in front of everyone he kissed her, "I missed you."

With a smile on his face, Jack turned to leave, everything would be all right without him. It was time to head home to his life and to his Sam.

* * *

The next day Sam and Jack brought Morgan to the SGC and sent her through the mirror. It was a teary goodbye for everyone, but it had to be done. When they arrived, O'Neill was already through the mirror waiting for them.

As soon as she saw O'Neill she let go of Jack's hand and ran to O'Neill throwing herself into his arms. "Daddy, you are alive. Jack and Sam told me you were, but I couldn't really believe it until I saw you again. Can we go home now? I want to see Mommy and the new baby."

"Sure Pumpkin." O'Neill said as he hugged her tight. He turned to Jack and Sam who watched the scene with tears in their eyes. They were losing their little girl, but she was going back home where she belonged.

O'Neill saluted them before he reached out, touching the mirror and vanishing.

On the other side, Carter and Danny were waiting with Cas and Charlie. They all stood together. Giving a final wave before the mirror blinked out.

* * *

Six months or so later, Sam delivered a little girl named Susann Morgan O'Neill but they called her Suzie.

They never saw Charlie or Morgan again, but five years later a wedding invitation appeared on the floor of the room where the mirror was kept. It announced the wedding of Lt Cassandra Frasier and Lt Charles Jonathan O'Neill.

Jack and Sam knew that the other O'Neill clan was happy and so were they.

* * *

There you have it all done. Stick a fork in this one too. Leave your thoughts and make me smile. ~Kelleth~


End file.
